


To Hell and Back

by c0nsistentlyinc0nsistent



Category: Hermitcraft
Genre: I didn't write this!!, M/M, Mild Violence Warning, helping someone out by posting for them, we agreed to it :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:07:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 50,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25574074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c0nsistentlyinc0nsistent/pseuds/c0nsistentlyinc0nsistent
Summary: This is a fic that was written by @sweetest-honeybee on Tumblr!They were unable to post it here as they don't have an account and waiting is a pain, so when they asked if someone could help them post it I went ahead and volunteered :)
Relationships: Helsknight/Evil Xisuma
Comments: 77
Kudos: 246





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'll say this many times, this lovely fic was not written by me!!
> 
> A fellow Bee (sweetest-honeybee on Tumblr) needed help posting it to Ao3 and I'm helping them out by posting it. 
> 
> So please keep that in mind!! Direct any compliments towards them and not me :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Despite his initial admiration for him, Hels makes his hatred for Ex very apparent. Despite this, Ex still invites him to hang out in The End. 
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, Evil Xisuma, mentions of Xisuma and Welsknight 
> 
> TW: Lightning mention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: This fic was not written by me! I am merely assisting in posting it as agreed upon.

* * *

Nestled between The Nether and The End, there existed another dimension called Hels. A name coined by one of its known fearless champions- Helsknight. 

The dimension belonged to all of the world’s worst entities and negative energy that resided in it. Some of that energy can take control of other mobs and use them as vessels, wreaking havoc in the already destroyed ruins of many small villages. Others simply roamed, powering the mechanics of the dimension and settling that sense of dread most people feel when they walk in. 

In the distance away from most portals sat a castle. Kings and Queens didn’t exist, however. Whoever ruled was whoever could strike the most terror into the hearts of those who came across them. They had to be courageous, intelligent, and excelled especially in combat. These rulers were called Champions. 

Helsknight, meeting at least most of these qualities, ruled over Hels. He was their Champion. 

Initially, he found interest in another alternate Hermit a couple years prior to his crowning. This hermit, oddly, was not from Hels. Evil Ex, as he introduced himself, was forged in The End, miles upon miles into the void. He claimed to have a burning hatred for his goody-two-shoe counterpart and impressed Helsknight with his immediate power. 

_Because he’s the alternate version of the admin_ , Helsknight believed. Admins have more raw power than anyone. 

Ex loved lightning, he soon figured out. Tridents were his weapon of choice if he had to choose. TNT was a very close second. He spent many days working to destroy the Hermitcraft server and repeatedly kill Xisuma for his own pleasure. Helsknight admired it. 

Given that Hels hadn’t even had a vessel to use for those years was already something he found an odd longing for when it came to Ex. Ex was fun and energetic, and _evil_ . And he got to show that with a _body_. Hels was nothing more than a bit of black fog that sat near the ground. 

Then, as the years went by and Welsknight joined the server, things became different. Hels was very quickly assigned to become Wels’s hatred and all negative things about him. He became stronger, even taking the form of some of the lower entities in Hels. Wither skeletons were a common vessel. 

Sadly, with the continuing progression in his life came the slow downfall of Ex. He started becoming soft, discovering sudden phobias of items and mobs in the overworld. Oddly enough, he spent quite some time in the overworld- usually with Xisuma. 

The worst part? He struck fear into _no one_. 

Everyone laughed when he made an appearance and he was too obsessed with that hero worm….man? A hero nonetheless. He even took time to resign from his evil deeds and become a good guy. 

Everyone in Hels hated this. Ex was a symbol of torment and disgust in their eyes instantly. With this anger, Helsknight became stronger, faster, and his demented mind increased ten fold. He took time to move higher and higher, fueled by his hatred for that sad excuse for the villain he once took inspiration from. 

Long story short, he became the champion of Hels after all of that. With his place in the system of an ever descending hierarchy, he was given powers beyond the citizens of Hels’ comprehension. This came with the ability to simply summon portals of his own to torment people from many many other dimensions. He even took a chance to swing by his own counterpart after receiving a vessel from a failed cloning machine. 

Though, it didn’t end how he intended. 

Wels was a fighter, he knew, and the end of their dispute landed with a sword slicing into his arm. He retreated quickly, seizing to his world after a dramatic end speech to promise to return to the overworld. 

Back in the castle, he exited the portal and made his way to his room. 

He initially hadn’t noticed the figure on the bed at first while he headed to the bathroom to rinse his wound. He nearly spilled the bowl of water at the almost too recognizable demonic voice greeting him from the other room. 

“Yeesh, what have you gotten into?” 

Hels poked his head around the doorway to find Ex laying on his bed. His arms were tucked behind his head and his legs were crossed like he owned the castle himself. 

“Good lord, why are you of all people even here?”

“Well that’s not a kind way to say hello.” 

Hels glared at him. “I’m not _kind_ , especially not to you. Get out or I’ll have someone exterminate you for me.” Ex rolled his eyes. 

“Don’t be so jumpy, I just wanna chat.” He sat up with crossed legs and out his hands between his thighs, almost mimicking the attentive stare of a toddler. His eyes followed the thickening blood trail streaming down the knight’s arm. “What happened there?” 

“Nothing of you concern. Get out of my room.” 

“This isn’t technically _your_ room if you think about it-“ Ex’s speech was halted by a sword at his throat. He eyed Hels curiously.

“You have three seconds to leave or I rip out your vocal cords and use them on a bow.” 

Ex merely raised a brow. “Right.” He huffed. “Fine, if I’m not worth your time then I’ll leave but I’ll be in The End this Friday if you’d like to come chat for a while.” 

“What? I’m not interested in your pathetic antics.” 

“Psh, you don’t know that.” 

The sword leaned farther into his throat. “Get. Out.” 

Ex grinned. “It’s a date!” With that, he vanished into thin air. Hels sighed. At least there was peace and quiet now to focus on dressing his wound. 

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Hels still hates Ex but Ex pops by for a little visit to give Hels a gift. 
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, Evil Xisuma, mentions of other evil hermits 
> 
> TW: Uh....flowers? And kicking a bed?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: This fic was not written by me! I am only assisting in posting it as agreed upon. 
> 
> Also, I'm copying over Bee's summary bits from the posts on Tumblr along with the chapters :)

  


* * *

  


A couple days rolled by and it was Tuesday. 

  


Hels dragged himself from his bed reluctantly to attend to his boring Champion duties. Executing at least a hundred different people every day wasn’t as fun as it sounded. He wasn’t exactly fond of ending his days drenched in the blood of what certainly wasn’t his enemies. He’d merely kick a few heads around the floor and have someone else clean the mess. 

  


By the 30th execution he groaned. “Don’t I have anything else to do?” 

  


The guards merely shrugged. “You’re the Champion. You may honestly do as you please,” one answered. 

  


“Cool, clean this up, I’m visiting the other alters.” The guards made a noise of affirmation and left Hels to his own devices. 

  


In his room once more he changed into a much less threatening outfit. Spiked armor topped with fire and chunks of magma wasn’t appropriate for his occasion, though it’d be useful. The other evil hermits were a bit more harsh than they seemed. 

  


He opted for a loose red top and black pants, throwing a golden chain around his neck for added accessory. 

  


“Oh, look at Hels without his big bad armor.” Hels turned quickly and met Ex’s eyes. He grumbled under his breath. 

  


“Why are you here? It’s not even Friday.” Hels turned back to the mirror and combed his fingers through his hair at a useless attempt to make his hair look more kept. 

  


“What, can’t a guy visit his friend? If Xisuma taught me correctly, you should spend time with them.” 

  


“Xisuma can kiss my-“ 

  


“Look, I even brought you a gift! He said friends appreciate them.” Ex held up a small bouquet of flowers, albeit a bit wilted. Nonetheless they were quite colorful and Hels gagged. “I took a whole class on flower arrangements!”

  


“One, I’m not your friend. Two, those are the ugliest flowers I’ve ever seen. Three, like before, get out or I’ll kill you right here and now. You’re a disgrace to this dimension and you must have some guts to even be here.” 

  


Ex frowned. “Huh, thought the roses would be more your taste.” He threw them behind himself, landing on the cold floor pathetically. “Anyways, I’ll be off then, see you soon!” 

  


“You can’t just-!” Hels stared at the now empty space where Ex once was. 

  


“ARRGH! DUMB-“ he threw a punch to the air “-PIECE-“ he threw another punch “-OF-“ and finally he kicked the frame of his bed with full force. He yelled and hopped around spewing curses. 

  


Outside, the guards merely glanced at each other with concern. 

  


Hels huffed and stopped hopping. “I don’t have time for this.” He hurriedly threw on his boots and summoned a portal, not bothering to check his final appearance before leaving. As he went through the portal, his sour mood lifted instantly. He grinned at the sight of the other evil hermits. 

  


“Hello, friends.” 

  


* * *

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hels: screaming and kicking his bed  
> The guards: 👁👄👁 👁👄👁


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Hels follows through with visiting Ex but it doesn’t really go how Ex planned. 
> 
> Charatcers: Helsknight, Evil Xisuma 
> 
> TW: Hels gon get pretty angry in this one so watch out lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I'm putting this reminder ever chapter 
> 
> Reminder: I am not the one who wrote this fic! I am merely assisting Bee in posting it here.

* * *

It was Friday now. Ex waited patiently on the edge of one of the endstone islands, swinging his legs back and forth and humming. Enderman mimicked his tune and he chuckled. 

“You like my song?” Some enderman made other noises as if to say yes. “I think I’m quite good at humming, probably the best in the world, better than other people at humming.” 

“No, you’re honestly pretty shit at it.” 

Ex turned behind him where Hels stood. A few enderman hissed at the knight and with a single glare, they cleared away to other ends of the island. Ex’s eyes widened in what Hels only assumed was awe. 

“Wow, didn’t think you were that scary. Well, I mean you are the champion of Hels after all, but you’re pretty courageous I must admit.” Hels couldn’t help but to smirk with pride. 

“Flattery does touch this dark soul of mine. Keep it going, maybe I’ll listen to what you have to say.” He glanced at the shoulder box behind Ex near his feet. “What’s that?” 

“Oh, that? Just a few items I picked up from raiding the End Cities, nothing too special. You can have a look if you like.” 

“Later, but don’t waste my time. You said to come here and I’m here, what do you want.” 

“Well actually I  _ invited _ you. To hang out of course!” 

Hels made a face of a mix between disgust and confusion. “Hang out?” He huffed. “You’re still on the whole friends thing aren’t you.” 

“Well, yes. I need more friends and I thought you’d be the perfect candidate. I have a whole plan and everything.” He turned to the shucker box and opened it. Ex pulled out a book and quill labeled ‘Plot for Friendship’. “See?” 

“ _ Oh boy _ ,” Hels replied sarcastically. He laughed. “I don’t even know why I’m still here. You’re so fucking lame.” 

“Ah, doesn’t surprise me. Being good is quite dull sometimes, I can’t really spend time blowing bases up anymore.” 

Hels squinted at him. “Why don’t you?” 

“Well, being good is rewarding, oddly enough. You’re not so alone in your endeavors.” 

“Well, sorry to break it to you, I’m all bad and nothing good and I’ve got plenty of friends.” 

“You mean the ones who constantly insult you and make plots to kill you and take over Hels?” 

“Yes those fri- Wait what?” 

“Oh yeah, I kinda jump around Hels a lot and sometimes I go visit them myself. Not the nicest bunch, and they don’t really like you. Say you’ve gone all power hungry and whatnot.” 

Hels’s eyes widened, eyes glowing just enough to signify his anger. “I do  _ NOT _ . Also, you’re lying! Of course you want to act like my friend and try to keep me away from my  _ actual _ friends. I should have seen this coming!” 

“I’m not lying you idiot. Also you have one hell of a short temper.” 

Hels grew more exasperated. “You know what? I’m leaving, if I ever see you again, I’ll have your head!” 

Ex frowned. “That’s not very nice. I didn’t mean to anger you.” 

Hels didn’t answer. He merely glared with bright red eyes and blared teeth. Wordlessly, he summon a portal and left, leaving Ex to stand there. He fidgeted with the quill and opened the book, crossing out a bullet point. 

  * _~~Hang out in The End~~_



He sighed and stuffed the book back into the shulker box. One of the enderman approached him silently. It hummed the tune it mimicked prior to the arguement and nudged against Ex who was slumped against the box. Ex patted it on the head.

“Thanks, Charles.” 

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Ex and Xisuma have a little chat. 
> 
> Characters: Evil Xisuma, Xisuma
> 
> TW: Mentions of killing people

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I am not the writer of this fic! I am merely assisting Bee in posting it here.
> 
> Ironic though how we both have the name Bee

* * *

“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong! I gave him flowers, I invited him to hang out, I flattered him, why won’t he be my friend?!” Ex looked towards Xisuma waiting for an answer. 

Xisuma continued on sharpening his sword. “Well, how did he react?”

Ex stared for a second and glanced at the floor. “He accused me of trying to steal him away from his other friends…” He looked back up. “But it’s not true!” 

“I’m sure it’s not Evil X. But sometimes friends don’t really click at first. They can take a long time and sometimes you’ll never be friends.”

“But I want to be his friend! I want him to be  _ my _ friend!” 

Xisuma chuckled at Ex’s choice of words. “You can’t just force them to be your friend.” 

Ex simply pouted. “Well is there anything else I can do? I mean, he came to hang out, I just made him a bit angry.” 

“Okay, that’s a place to start. What kinds of things does he like? Does he like building? Redstone?” 

“Killing people.” 

Xisuma made a face of concern. “Killing people?” 

“Duh, that’s what I said.” Xisuma couldn’t help but to worry about the lack of concern displayed on Ex’s face. 

“Um, Evil X, what’s his name anyways? I don’t believe you’ve told me about him.” 

“I haven’t?” Xisuma nodded. “Oh, well, his name is Helsknight and he live in Hels. He’s their ruler of sorts, what they call a Champion.” 

Xisuma nodded in thought. “Helsknight, Helsknight…..where have I heard that name before….You said he lives in Hels? He’s not in the overworld? We've got a Welsknight here in the overworld.” 

“Yes, his name is Helsknight, he lives in Hels, he’s deadly, but I think he’s quite nice to be honest.” 

“Right, right….well, why don’t we start small again. Maybe leave him notes rather than randomly appearing in his home without him knowing.” Ex rubbed his neck sheepishly. 

“Yeah sorry about that.” 

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Hels takes a liking for Ex’s gift. Ex also invites him to another chat in the end and make amends. 
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, Evil Xisuma 
> 
> TW: None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely assisting Bee in posting it here.

* * *

Hels was laying on his bed staring at the ceiling blankly. He could go and kill more mobs, torment more hermits in the overworld, or...visit the other alters. He grimaced at the thought. Hels hadn’t seen them since his little dispute with Ex and while he was certainly pride and ego, there was a bit of anxiety that ate away at him. 

Being all the bad things about your clone wasn’t just bloodbaths and decapitation. Pride and ego could take a turn for the worst and be subdued by insecurity. 

_ Did they hate him?  _ Well, he wouldn’t be too awfully surprised because they hate everyone, especially each other. But there was a real kind of hate that was more than just a hateful friendship, as weird as it sounded. He couldn’t really put his finger on it. 

Hels sat up, surveying the luxurious room. He had everything, really. He had money, power, magical abilities, and people bowed to his feet. He glanced at the window. The dull red fog outside wasn’t much to light up the room that was already minimally lit by chunks of glow stone growing in the corners of his room. 

His eyes soon landed on a deep blue near his desk. On the floor laid the bouquet of flowers, almost entirely wilted. He cocked his head to the side. 

_ Still there.  _

He walked to the flowers and picked them up. He wasn’t unfamiliar with flowers. He hid in a lilac bush while spying on Wels. He recalled that they smelled quite pleasant and a bee landed on his cheek, probably thinking his red eyes resembled flowers of some kind. 

He turned the flowers over in his hand as if he expected some kind of surprise. Hels hardly noticed his cheeks flushing slightly during his little examination. 

Then, he sat the flowers on a desk a few feet away. Something told him not to throw them away. He could burn them, he thought. He could tear them to shreds or even eat them. But he turned to the bathroom and mindlessly walked into it to grab the bowl of water. 

It was no fancy vase, and plants usually died in Hels. Even warped fungi and nether wart. But he sat the flowers in the bowl with their petals hung over the edge. A few petals already fell onto the wooden surface but with a small bit of magic, he pulled them together and a bit livelier than they were before, though not completely. 

Then it hit him. Why was he caring for these flowers? They were just flowers. There’s billions of flowers in the overworld he could bring to his room. 

And….that didn’t sound like such a bad idea. Bringing plants to Hels. 

He shook his head. This was ridiculous, he didn’t need some stupid plants. Yet, he looked at the flowers on his desk. They seemed to hold some kind of sentimental value but he couldn’t understand why. He felt as if they brought him the smallest bit of joy to look at them. 

Nonetheless, he decided against the idea of gardening. 

He sat back on his bed with a sigh. He leaned forward, resting his chin in his hands, and kept staring at the flowers. That was until a small red envelope appeared out of thin air on his desk. He lifted his head and raised a brow. 

“That’s peculiar,” he said aloud. He made his way to the desk and picked up the envelope as if it was made of glass. The golden calligraphy on the back was impeccable and a wax seal was placed on the front. He opened it. 

_ Hey Hels!  _

_ I’m mostly saying this because Xisuma said I should so I wanted to say sorry for angering you a few days ago. Guess it wasn’t really my place to say what I said.  _

_ Anyways, I wanted to meet up again this weekend. Talk things over, bro hug, whatever you think is right. I just don’t want you mad at me. Xisuma said being mad at each other is normal in a friendship but I think I hit on one hell of a touchy topic.  _

_ Alright this is getting long and sappy. Meet me this weekend in The End at the same edge we were before.  _

_ Hopefully you come,  _

_ Evil Xisuma _

_ P.S. There should be a flower with this in a couple minutes. You didn’t seem to like them but I couldn’t think of anything else. _

Hels read over the letter and on cue, a tulip appeared and landed next to the discarded envelope. He picked it up and spun it in his hands, a small grin appearing on his face. He sat it with the other flowers in the bowl and admired what could become his own little dome of flowers in the bowl. 

Though, he was a bit ahead of himself. He was becoming soft, especially for Ex’s actions. He was caring for flowers, appreciating letters, and, as much as he hated to think about it, there was a minor thought in the back of his mind that seemed to  _ want _ to see Ex again. 

He put the letter back on the desk and exhaled through his nose. This was taking up his time. He needed to clear his head, kill a few mobs, execute some villagers. 

And probably make plans to visit The End this weekend. 

* * *


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Hels decides to partake in another visit to the End to chat with Ex. Things seem to be looking up now. 
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, Evil Xisuma 
> 
> TW: None that I know of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely helping out with posting it.

* * *

This time around, Ex discovered a new feeling he couldn’t name before talking with Xisuma. That feeling undoubtedly being anxiety. He was quite excited to see a Hels again, don’t get him wrong. But the idea of Hels coming back again simply just to scream at him and making him angry kept crossing his mind. 

He began humming the familiar tune. The mimicking response from the nearby enderman calmed his nervousness substantially. He sat at the edge, a low breeze around him from the void, and calm energy around him left by nothingness for miles. Ex began to wonder why he stayed in the overworld all the time. 

He removed his helmet to feel it better, not hardly thinking about someone seeing his appearance at that moment. He closed his eyes and laid back onto the ground humming continuously with the enderman. 

About twenty feet away from him, Hels emerged from a portal. Rather than wearing his armor like before, he wore a simple shirt, vest, cravat, and gloves. He for some reason didn’t want to seem so threatening. 

He hadn’t initially seen where Ex was and looked around. Without Ex sitting up or standing, Hels couldn’t see him. Though, he heard the humming. He heard the enderman harmonizing with it and an entire song reached his ears. 

Coupled with the sounds of the wasteland wind and the static noises with the enderman, it was almost soothing, yet uncannily ominous. Almost as if you walked into well...a barren wasteland and were left to survive. 

Hels walked around in a couple directions until his eyes landed on a shulker box near the edge of the island. Behind it, a discarded helmet.

Hels didn’t know what exactly said he should panic, but the discarded helmet had his heart rising to his throat and he made his way to it quickly. The sight of Ex laying on the ground with his arms behind his head was enough information to tell that he wasn’t dead at least. 

Ex actually…looked quite peaceful. He hummed to his heart’s content with closed eyes and a small smile, occasionally moving his legs back and forth. 

The song was beautiful, Hels must admit. The deepness of Ex’s voice helped a ton in the range of notes he could reach. However, Hels being Hels decided to startle him. 

“Your humming still sucks.” 

Immediately, Ex’s eyes were wide open and he sat up quickly. So quick in fact that he almost threw himself off the edge. He yelped. 

“Give a man a warning first!” 

“You should’ve been prepared.” Hels grinned playfully. Ex raised a brow. 

“You seem like you’re in an awfully good mood...like incredibly different. I thought you’d still be angry if I’m being entirely honest.” 

“Ah, well, I got to execute more people than usual, so it may be that I suppose.” 

Ex’s smile fell a bit. “Right, right.” 

“I also see that you’ve taken off your helmet. Don’t you need that to breathe?” 

Ex glanced at the helmet on the ground. “Oh! Yeah, the breeze was nice. Also, I have an implant in my nose and throat to help breathe. The helmet is for when I’m in dimensions that isn’t The End.” 

Hels nodded in thought. “Huh, interesting.” 

“Also, I uh, I’m sorry about what I said. Wasn’t my place.” Ex’s bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet and looked at the ground. “Xisuma said I shouldn’t assume things like that when I don’t know what’s happening.” 

Hels sighed. “Well, I think you were right about them, I’ll admit. I’m not happy about it but it is what it is.” 

Ex looked up at him with, for some reason, a face of concern. “Well, now you don’t have friends anymore!” 

Hels couldn’t help but to feel a tinge of disappointment at Ex’s choice of words. “Um yeah, right.” 

“Yeah…” 

The two sat in an awkward silence for a few moments and Hels coughed to break the silence. 

“Right, so, how’s the whole uh...flower thing?” 

Ex grinned and clapped his hands together, excitement suddenly replacing his previously sour mood. “Oh, lovely! Xisuma helped me make a flower shop since they’re decoration and you make dyes out of them!” 

Hels found himself flushing at the sight of Ex’s excitement. “Sounds great, what about you and the other hermits?” 

Ex grinned even wider. “Let me tell you about them!” 

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Ex fills Hels’s room with a ton of various plants, mostly flowers. He also sends yet another invitation for the two to hang out together.
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, Evil Xisuma mentions
> 
> TW: Vague threats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely helping out with posting it.

* * *

On Monday that next week after, Hels woke up with something tickling his nose. He sniffled and scrunched it up. He moved his hand and touched something quite soft, yet a bit cold. Eventually, he sneezed and finally opened his eyes. A bright white rose laying just next to his head. He looked at his hand and there sat the head of an oxy daisy. 

It took him at least a minute to realize what had happened. He was confused as to why there were flowers in his bed until he sat up and found a small red envelope on his nightstand. He stared at it blankly and looked around his room. Baskets of flowers were placed around his room in different combinations. Plants hung from the ceiling in baskets held by black wire framing and potted plants litters the wall’s edges. 

Hels chuckled. “Ex, what on earth…” He sat up and picked up the envelope, opening it. He read the letter. 

_ Hey Hels!  _

_ So you’ve probably noticed now that there’s a whole bunch of flowers and plants in your room ranging from cocoa bean plants to roses and well…I had a lot of leftover stock to get rid of. Also your room is kinda dull and boring. The glowstone apparently makes for a good sunlight substitute! _

_ I’ve also seen that you’ve kept my flowers which to be honest is why I did this. I thought maybe you’d like to add a few more.  _

_ Okay, that out of the way. I wanted to meet up again! I thought maybe this time we don’t have to be in The End. Maybe we could chill in your room? Or you could come to the overworld and help me with some gardening? Your choice, just let me know.  _

_ Xisuma also says hello and wants to know if you’re that one evil guy related to Welsknight.  _

_ Hope to hear from you soon,  _

_ Ex  _

Hels couldn’t help but to smile. Again, he realized he was blushing at the mere thought of hanging out with Xisuma again. Did he really want to see him that much? He hated everything about him only a couple weeks ago, he thought. And honestly, he still does find Ex annoying to an extent. 

Though, he thought blushing wasn’t exactly a friend thing. 

He eyed the note again. Xisuma wanted to know if he was Wel’s clone, he guessed. Well, it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to visit the overworld as long as he wasn’t hurting anyone. 

But that was his whole thing- to hurt people. He was made to be evil and threatening and now he was incredibly soft. This had to be a problem. If he was soft then he’d be no match to others who planned to rule over Hels and there were hundreds of close seconds every day who could be crowned at any moment if they could take down Helsknight. 

He grimaced at the thought. He’d never be able to come back to Hels if anyone knew that he left to go help one of their other largest embarrassments in gardening. 

But….he wanted to, as much as he hated to say it. He could say it was to get more vibrant red dye perhaps. Maybe even say it was to learn to introduce better agriculture in his dimension. Yeah, that could work. People in Hels tended to be quite stupid and gullible. 

He got up and put the letter and envelope in his desk drawer with the other one. Hels turned around and studied the hundreds of petals and flower heads that littered the floor. He stepped on some but they were soft and squishy and the petals were quite smooth and cool to the touch. Absentmindedly, he smelled a few. 

It was much better than the ash and smoke he grew nose blind to. The aroma of the flowers and the energy they created was quite pleasing. 

He sat back at his desk and pulled out a piece of paper and quill. 

_ Hey Ex  _

_ I’m sending this letter to inform you that I will be joining you in gardening in the overworld this weekend. Don’t disappoint me. You like to brag about your whole flower arrangements thing.  _

_ Also thanks for all of the flowers. You seem to have placed one by my face which I know was probably on purpose.  _

_ See you then _

_ Helsknight  _

That was an okay letter, right? Got his point across with a bit of humor. He looked over at the bowl of flowers on his desk. Carefully he picked out a small sunflower and tied it to the letter. In seconds, the letter and flower disappeared in a puff of red flame. 

“That should do it,” he thought aloud. He sat back and looked up. The glowstone was quite bright. Maybe Ex put the plants that needed the most sun closer to the ceiling. 

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of glass shattering. He stood up and looked around, finding a large piece of stone with a piece of paper tied to it. Hesitantly, he picked it up and unfolded the paper. 

_ Be ready. We come this weekend. No more Helsknight. _

Well that wasn’t exactly very reassuring. His stomach dropped. This could be a prank but it wasn’t at all implausible. Anyone and everyone was always trying to become the champion of Hels. 

So he just needed to be ready for when that happened. But...if he stays, he’d miss his gardening appointment with Ex. And he didn't want to just abandon him. Not to mention he  _ just _ sent his reply a couple minutes prior. Ex wouldn’t hate him if he said he couldn’t come right? 

Right? 

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: The evils hermits take their chance to dethrone Hels a bit earlier than expected. NPC Grian gets a little stabby stabby with Hels and it lands him injured in the overworld. Hugs and cuddles ensue.
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, BadtimesWithScar, NPC Grian, Evil Xisuma, Xisuma, and Welsknight 
> 
> TW: Blood mention, unconsciousness, mentions of dying, it’s a bit angsty this time lol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely assisting with posting it.

* * *

Steadily, as the days went by, more minor attempts at taking the throne were made by other people. Some caught the main hall on fire, others exploded the stables, and some even sent hit men to take out Hels altogether. Still, he stood his ground and each day inevitably brought more and more death threats.

He wondered why they wanted to kill him in general. Technically, if he read the rules correctly, there was no need to kill the Champion in order to take the throne. They mostly just had to be scared enough to step off of it and admit some kind of defeat. Which he could certainly do but Hels wasn’t exactly a fan of being seen as a coward for retreating rather than fighting. 

Around Thursday, one of the other evil hermits came to dethrone him themselves. It was BadTimesWithScar, dressed head to toe in netherite armor. He appeared near the doors of the throne room where Hels was sat. 

“Didn’t take you much for the fighting type, BadTimes,” Hels commented. The other alter merely glared at him. 

“I wouldn’t be so cocky. Step off or we’re doing this the hard way.” 

“We haven’t already been doing it the hard way? Half the castle is blown to pieces.” Hels rolled his eyes. “Also I’m not stepping down, I’m no coward. I have guards lining the sides of the room, you’re awfully outnumbered.”

BadTimes surveyed the room and Hels was right. Each guard stared him down like prey. He chuckled. “Oh, I’m not.” 

Hels raised a brow. “And what exactly is that supposed to mean?” He stood from his chair. “Are you dense? There’s a hundred times the amount of people here than you.” 

BadTimes grinned. “I don’t need to do anything, I’m afraid. You might want to look behind you.” 

Hels turned quickly and there stood another of the alters- NPC Grian. Guards aimed crossbows immediately but were too late to react when the NPC pulled out a dagger and before he could react, the blade was already through his stomach. The knight met the blank gaze of NPG, sending him a sour expression through the now searing pain. 

_ Ah, I see what he meant _ , he thought. 

Suddenly, everything began going silent. Hels could see the guards charging at the NPC and he assumed they did the same to BadTimes. Arrows were sent flying and people were presumably yelling. 

Wordlessly, he looked down at the wound and brought a hand to it slowly. Deep red liquid oozed out of the gaps of his fingers. He stared at it, expressionless. Maybe a hint of surprise crossed his features but he hadn’t noticed when a few guards were calling his name and asking if he was alright. 

Was this what shock felt like?

He knew he probably was fine. Maybe. Maybe he wasn’t and that was just his ego telling him that he could simply survive through anything. He stumbled a bit and looked around. His vision was slowly becoming darker around the edges and only then did he begin panicking. 

The panic wasn’t hardly external. His breaths left in shallow exhales through his nose and his hand tightened around the dagger still stuck in his upper stomach. However, internally, he was asking around for help. You can’t really expect such a stoic and hateful person to really keep up their facade in the midst of dying. He didn’t want to die. 

Without thinking, a portal opened in front of him and he shakily stepped through it. More of his vision became blotchy and a wave of dizziness and nausea passed over him. Hels fell to the ground on his knees and flashes lined everything in his field of sight. He grew tired. Maybe he could sleep off the final effects of this and start again as a cloud of black fog. 

While he thought, a figure was soon in front of him and another figure at his side. By now he couldn’t really keep his eyes open and even if he could see past the green and pink blobs in his vision, he wouldn’t recognize them anyways. He felt more hands join him on the dagger and just before everything finally went to darkness, he was standing again, yet leaning on something else. 

It only felt like a few seconds, maybe a minute at most. He assumed by now he’d see that weird light that everyone talked about during death. But there was nothing, just an endless void and his thoughts. 

The other hermits had the luxury of respawning after they died. That was simply because they were from the overworld. Clones and entities from other dimensions didn’t respawn like ghasts and pigmen, for example. Hels was among these kinds of creatures. 

Additionally, Ex was too, he assumed. The man said he was an entity strung together loosely in the lowest levels of the Void.

Faintly, he could hear voices in the distance of the darkness. 

“Is....Cloning machine?” 

“Yes….shouldn’t...here.” 

“Look, I know he......Ex…...friend….” Slowly, the words began becoming more muddled. He tried to catch onto what was happening around him. He looked around for any signs of waking up and a small glowing orb appeared in front of him. 

“Is this….” he stared at it quite sadly. At least nobody was there to mock him for it. He sighed. “Well, if it must happen.” He reached out and touched the orb, everything falling dark again. 

What he didn’t expect was opening his eyes to a blank white ceiling and sounds of machinery. He inhaled and raised a hand to his throat. 

_ Still alive _ , he assumed. 

He then looked at his hand, a small clamp around his finger. He made a confused expression and took more time to adjust his eyes to the room he was in. Around him were pale beige walls and a singular painting on the wall opposite of him of a cat. He looked to his left where a couple different devices were sat. They didn’t hardly look familiar to him so he didn’t know what they were. All he knew was that they were connected to him via various tubes. 

He exhaled and leaned back farther into the pillows behind him. This must be some kind of clinic. It looked a bit similar to the one they used in Hels. A rarity, but they had them. 

He scanned around a bit more, looking to his right. Windows were set up on this wall and a wooden door indicated at least some kind of exit. With a closer look, he saw Wels outside talking to a man who looked eerily like Ex. If he knew his mobs correctly, the suit resembled that of a Strider. Perhaps that was Xisuma.

The door was slightly ajar and he could make out more of their conversation. 

“He’s special to Ex. They’re finally getting along and you want to get rid of him?” 

“All I said was that he should stay in Hels.” 

“Hels is why he looks like this!” 

“He’s their champion or whatever! I’m sure he can just come back and kill whoever did it. He likes to brag about it, you know.” 

“Wels, he was near death. He couldn’t have come back even if he planned to. He doesn’t respawn like we do.” 

Of course Wels wanted to throw him back to the hounds. He wasn’t surprised by that. He did threaten to destroy the server and threw him in a hole with their last encounter. Though what he didn’t expect was Xisuma’s defense. He wanted Hels to stay in the overworld to avoid what had happened prior to now. Hels also wondered if this had to do with Ex’s odd need for their friendship. 

Wels finally gave in reluctantly. “Well if he stays, he stays away from me and my cows. Poor things were terrified of him.” 

Xisuma could help but to snort at the request. “Can do, I believe he should be conscious now. I’ll be off.” With that, Wels walked off and Xisuma huffed. 

“I know you heard what he said, Hels.” Hels perked up a bit at the comment while Xisuma entered the room. “How are you feeling?” 

“Like shit.” 

“I’ll take it. What happened? If you’d like to talk about it of course.” Despite his statement, Xisuma seemed to wait patiently for an answer. Hels looked away from him as if he were ashamed to admit defeat. 

“They wanted to dethrone me.” 

“Oh?” 

Hels looked back at Xisuma who tilted his head to the side curiously. “Uh, yeah. I’m not exactly well liked around there. We’re competitive.” 

Xisuma nodded. “From what Wels and Ex tell me, I assumed so.” 

Hels sat up a bit. “Ex talks about me?” 

Xisuma chuckled at how the knight hardly questioned what his clone may have said. “All the time! He keeps asking me about ways to become your friend. How’s that working out, anyways? He can be a bit pushy.” 

Hels thought for a second, a small blush spreading over his cheeks. “It’s…going well. He’s covered my room in flowers because I um...I kept a few previous ones.” He scratched at his neck sheepishly. 

Xisuma lit up. “How sweet! He likes getting others into his fixations. I’ve heard you two have a meet up in the garden tomorrow.” Through the helmet screen, Hels could faintly see Xisuma’s eyebrows raising repeatedly and eyes that Hels knew were paired often with a smug smirk. 

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, we do I suppose. I thought the weekend would’ve already passed. I don’t know if I’m in good shape to do a lot of work though.” 

Xisuma nodded. “Well, the damage was fairly minimal. Just a flesh wound, nothing some regeneration and health potions can’t fix. I think it just comes down to how well you can handle pain. You’ll be sore for a while.” 

Hels snorted. “I’m used to it.” 

“Good, good. Well, if you’d like, I can go retrieve Ex. He’s been dying to see if you were….well, dying. But I think he’ll be quite excited for the news!” 

“Sure,” Hels replied with a lopsided grin. 

Then Xisuma left the room. Before Hels could completely nestle back into the pillows, Ex ran in with excitement. He bounced happily at the sight of Hels. 

“You’re alive! Xisuma said not to hug you because you might be uncomfortable with that but at least you’re here!” 

Hels rolled his eyes for the second time and sat up, putting his arms out to ask for a hug. “Bring it in, nerd.” 

Almost too excitedly, Ex pulled him into a spine crushing hug which Hels happily reciprocated. He thought for a second they were hugging a little longer than he expected but he paid no mind to it. When Ex pulled away, Hels winced at the aching sensation in his abdomen. 

“Oops, sorry about that.” 

Hels waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine, I’ve had worse. Also a little strider told me that you like to talk about me. I hope you’re not talking shit,” he replied jokingly. He didn’t notice that Ex flushed a little bit. 

Ex rubbed at his neck. “Oh yeah, I do. And flowers, I talk about flowers a lot. Oh! Will you be alright to do the gardening tomorrow?” 

Hels flopped back onto the pillows. “Yeah, I think I will be. I mean I’ve got nowhere else to be for the next thousand years.” 

Ex raised a brow. “You can’t go back to Hels?” 

“No, if I do, I’ll be killed. That’s kinda why I’m here like this now.” 

Ex seemed genuinely surprised at the information. “Huh...Well, at least you’re with me! I can show you around!” 

Hels’s gaze softened just a smidge. “Yeah, at least I’m with you.” He yawned. “Jeez, didn’t think I’d be so tired already. What was that? A few minutes of being awake?” 

“Yeah, Xisuma said you probably will be asleep again soon so I had to be quick with the conversation. Something about some kinda medication he gave you. I’ll leave you to nap then?”

Hels chuckled tiredly, another yawn rolling past his lips. “I mean...you can stay, I’ll just be asleep for a little while. Shit, you can lay with me. I don’t care.” He yawned again. “Just...don’t kick me…” Slowly, his half lidded eyes closed and he drifted off to a sound sleep. 

Ex couldn’t help but to stare. While this was the second time he’d seen Hels sleeping, the first time was in the dark so he couldn’t see the normally sharp features soften so much. He smiled faintly and looked around out in the halls. Nobody was there so he could take the opportunity to lay with Hels. This might be a once in a lifetime opportunity, he thought. 

He also wondered if Hels even knew what he said before he fell asleep either, but that thought was quickly shoved to the back of his mind with new excitement. 

He removed his outer armor and his boots, detaching his helmet from the main device over his nose and mouth and discarded it onto one of the chairs in the corner. Happily, he got into the bed with Hels and could help but to awe when the hellish knight nudged his own body into him peacefully. 

This was normal right? Xisuma may not do this with his friends though, Ex wondered. Maybe it’s a private thing, he’ll have to ask X about it later. 

* * *


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Xisuma and Stress witness the the evil hermit cuddles and Stress gives Hels a bit of a check up. 
> 
> Charatcers: Helsknight, Evil Xisuma, Xisuma, and Stress
> 
> TW: Brief needle mention but nothing other than that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely assisting with posting it here.

* * *

A few hours later, Xisuma came back assisted by Stress. The two conversated while they walked down the hall with a bag of items. 

“And you’re sure he does?” 

“I mean I think so. I know Ex. This is different from his usual flower rants.” 

Stress shrugged and chuckled. “If you say so.” 

Unsurprisingly, the two found the room with closed curtains and no light coming through the cracks. Xisuma opened the door and his eyes widened in shock at the sight in front of him. Stress approached him carefully, assuming the worst. 

“Honestly, I think that just proves my point,” he mused. As Stress peeked into the doorway around him, a smile spread across her face. 

“Oh how sweet!” she whisper-yelled. 

The sight in question was Ex and Hels sleeping soundly against each other. Ex simply laid on his back while Hels curled around him. 

“Oh, I don’t want to wake them up,” said Xisuma. “Sorry boys.” He shook his counterpart by the shoulder. “Ex it’s time to wake up! We can’t have you staying up all night again.” 

The pair stirred and Hels was the first to collect his thoughts. He propped himself on one elbow and after rubbing his eyes, they trailed from the chest in front of him to the face of a very sleepy Evil Xisuma. Within a couple seconds, his eyes widened and he sat up quickly.

His head snapped towards Xisuma and Stress in the doorway with confusion and stammered. “Uh- I don’t- This wasn’t-“ 

“Shut up, I’m still waking up,” Ex grumbled.

Hels glared at Xisuma and huffed. “I swear if you two tell anyone-“ 

“We won’t, Hels. I honestly expected it,” Xisuma chuckled and crossed his arms as if he was pleased with himself. Hels raised a brow. 

“I don’t even want to know what that means.” The knight rubbed at his eyes again. “What do you want, anyways?” 

“Oh! Just a little check up. Xisuma also needed to collect his uh...belongings,” answered Stress.

“I’m not some suitcase,” Ex tiredly replied. 

Hels coughed awkwardly and made a shooing motion with his hands. “Alright, alright, let's get this over with. Get out.” 

Xisuma nearly had to drag his counterpart out of the bed despite his whiny protests. His brother wasn’t exactly easy to pull from the places he found most comfortable, much like a cat. Maybe Scar would’ve had better luck at wrangling Ex than him. 

Stress still couldn’t help but to giggle and snort at the twin’s antics. The moment they left the room, she turned to Hels with a grin. 

“Alright then, how’re you feeling, luv? Anythin’ out of the ordinary?” Hels squinted at her. 

“You talk weird.” The comment merely earned a chuckle from her. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been told that. Is it the accent?” He made another face, more confused this time. 

“No, not that. You called me something, some kind of nickname.” Stress tilted her head to the side. 

“Luv?” 

“Stop saying that.” 

“It’s not an insult, just somethin’ I call people. Was tryin’ not to sound rude.” She then grinned, almost deviously, as if an idea suddenly popped into her head. “Would you rather me call you somethin’ else?” 

The knight wasn’t particularly interested. “Uh, let's just get this “check up” out of the way.” 

“Alright, darling, just tell me if anythin’ is wrong!” Before he could process the new name she had given him, she was already moving to the bag to grab new items to, what he assumed anyways, redress his stab wound. “There shouldn’t be more than a scar tomorrow, but X said that Beef told him that your healing may be slower than ours because of technical difficulties with the cloning machine. That alright, sweet pea?” 

Hels simply let out a defeated sigh, still on the thought of the name calling. She was just a little girl toying with him, he might as well just let her have her fun. He’s been through worse. 

“That alright?” He looked up at her, torn away from his thoughts for a second, and nodded slightly. “Alright. I’m gonna have ya’ remove your gown, please.” 

“Why would I do that?” 

“To wash your wound, of course, hun. Unless you know how to do it.” While she spoke, she took a bottle of pink liquid and stuck a cotton ball to the opening, tipping the bottle over for a second until the ball was saturated in a rosey color and quite obviously very wet.

He didn’t know what that substance was, possibly a potion, so he probably wouldn’t have known how to clean it their way. His way was just to throw some water over it and wrap it in gauze, sprinkle it in some ash and let the wound close around that. Reluctantly, he undressed from the admittedly uncomfortable gown he was previously wearing. 

Stress acknowledged this and smiled at him. “Thank you, dear. I’ll be done in no time, just lay back for me.” Without thinking further, he followed her directions, the tubes and needles being removed with haste. 

It wasn’t more than five minutes until new gauze and medical tape was placed over the wound. With a simple gesture and a nod, she had him sit up again. While she turned to throw away the excess materials, he coughed awkwardly. 

“Right um….thanks. I guess. Might as well be decent since I’m not the Champion anymore.” 

She turned back around, a small piece of something in her hand. A little semi-transparent red circle stuck to a white stick, all wrapped in plastic. 

“It’s my pleasure, you were very cooperative. And good boys get a lolly.” She handed it to him expectantly. He scoffed. 

“I’m not some child.” She raised a brow. 

“Fine then, if that’s not what you like, then I’ll throw it back with the rest-“ before she could continue, the lolly was snatched from her hand. She looked at her now empty and then at Hels who wore a smug grin as the candy was in his mouth, the white stick just past his lips. 

“You are...something for sure, Helsy.” 

An annoyed groan sounded from him. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I seriously cannot explain to you all just how much I love this fic


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Ex is a bit confused on the whole romance thing. 
> 
> Characters: Xisuma, Evil Xisuma
> 
> TW: None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely assisting with posting it.

  


* * *

  


  


“Hey X, do you sleep with your friends?” 

  


Xisuma choked on his tea a little bit at the question. That was quite sudden, either Ex was referring to sleeping next to your friends or he was implying other more private activities and while he knew it was the former, the phrasing threw him for quite a spin.

  


“Well um, sometimes, if the situation calls for it. Is this about you and Hels?” Xisuma could quite well see through Ex’s visor and onto his cheeks where a bit of darkness spread over them. 

  


“Uh, yeah. What do you do when you sleep with your friends? Do they just kind of sleep on top of you? Does it mean anything or….” Ex seemed to have a genuine curiosity at those kinds of things. Though Xisuma could recall several events that pointed toward the fact that Ex simply liked to ask questions.

  


Xisuma thought for a second. He’d just rather explain it all at once. “Okay, look at it this way.” He pulled out a bag of crystals, picking out a blue crystal and a red crystal. “This is you and Hels.” He pulled out a green crystal and a purple one. “Let’s say this is me-“ he pointed at the green one “-And this is Scar. Okay? Do you understand?” 

  


Ex nodded. 

  


Xisuma continued. “Alright, I’m going to explain to you what a platonic relationship is and what a romantic relationship is. Granted, many people can resort to queer platonic relationships,and othersaren’t able to feel romantic attraction, but I won’t go into that. You may ask questions about it when I’m done.”

  


X pointed at the red and blue crystals. “Let’s say this is a platonic relationship, it means you’re friends-“

  


“Well I’m not sure though.” Xisuma made a face at him and rested his chin in his palm. 

  


“Why’s that, Ex?” It seemed Ex was trying to piece together the perfect sentence but he did nothing more than open and close his mouth firmly. 

  


“Ah, just continue.” Xisuma nodded. 

  


“So in this scenario, you and Hels are friends, let's say that. We don’t need to fully confirm, but in this demonstration, you’re friends, okay? And, in this scenario, Scar and I are in a romantic relationship. It means we’re dating, more than friends to say the least.” 

  


“What does dating do?” 

  


“Well, first, both people need to tell each other and make it clear to each other that they like each other romantically.” 

  


Ex, bless his heart, was again confused. “But how do they know?” 

  


Xisuma couldn’t help his own sudden curiosity at Ex’s question. “Well, how do you feel around Hels? Does he make you happy? Does being around him make your stomach feel weird? Does your face feel very warm when you see him? Maybe your heart will beat faster? I could go on but those are some important questions.” 

  


Ex grinned. “Oh yes! All of those!” 

  


A light laughed left Xisuma’s lips. “Oh boy...Um...Well, Evil Ex, it seems that you may like Hels...romantically. What an interesting thought, I wouldn’t have actually thought I’d be right.” 

  


“What? That’s not….” Xisuma could see the gears turning in Ex’s head until his eyes widened. “The romantic stuff! You were asking if I felt romantic attraction to him!” Then to Xisuma’s own surprise, he visibly deflated. “But he doesn’t like me that much though…” 

  


Xisuma sighed through his nose. “I know. Some relationships don’t ever happen because they’re one sided. It means only one out of however many people involved likes the other, or others, romantically.” 

  


“So what do I do? You always tell me to not keep forcing people to do stuff, so I can’t really do that to him.” 

  


“Well, how do you know he doesn’t like you that way? Maybe he does, not saying for sure, but it’s a possibility.” Ex seemed to perk up at the thought. 

  


“I….don’t. Well, he hasn’t told me anything! He always insults me!” 

  


Xisuma laughed. “Ex, I think it’s time you understand that Hels is made for that. He’s all of Wels’s pent up anger and rage mixed with pride and ego. He’s all things bad about Wels. It’s completely normal for him to insult people, even if it doesn’t have ill intention behind it.” 

  


Ex dragged a hand over his helmet with a groan. “I’m just confused….” 

  


“I know, Ex. I know.” 

  


* * *

  



	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Hels recognizes an all too familiar avian builder and he and Ex start on making dye from flowers after discussing their evident mental issues. 
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, Evil Xisuma, Xisuma, Grian (briefly) 
> 
> TW: None that I know of

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it.

* * *

The night rolled by and soon it was Saturday. Hels had stayed in the same room for the night, wondering on the side where he’d stay when they eventually kicked him out of here. Not through hate, he assumed, just because his stab wound didn’t look more like he barely scratched himself and Stress decided that morning that they’d undress it and let it do its own thing. 

All while the lady gave him more candy of course.

He opted to not wear his armor. That could be a mistake if he crossed Wels for any reason, but he knew the admin wouldn’t let him lay a finger on Hels unless the dark knight was the one provoking him. Chivalrous and fair, but Wels stuck by what he stood for and that wasn’t anything in Hel’s taste. To be blunt about it, the knight hated him and for good reason.

Not that it mattered, Hels was supposed to be the villain in the little hero’s book. He couldn’t give more than a mere thought to it. 

Anyways, he pushed the thought to the side for later. If he came across Wels during their outing, he would cross that bridge when he got to it. He had an Evil Xisuma to visit if the guy didn’t already plan on dragging Hels out of the clinic himself. He also came to wonder why the Hermits had a clinic. They just respawned if they died. 

Not that it didn’t sound unpleasant. His stomach churned at the idea of falling off a cliff and not but a second later waking up in your bed with a cold sweat. He shivered just thinking about it. He’s probably better off without respawning. 

He was getting sidetracked again. Damn anxiety, why did Wels have anxiety? He was a knight and while Hels made it evidently clear of the other knight’s various phobias, he still was surprised at the sheer amount of things Wels was put off by. But anxiety? That was different, he knew. If he got the chance, he’d probably ask Ex about it. Ex was Xisuma’s clone or something, maybe he was a part of the same general concept. 

And again, sidetracked. Was this how Ex’s mind worked? The man had a habit of jumping from topic to topic within a short span of time, Hels soon realized. Before he could think on it further, he threw on the, admittedly quite fancy, outfit he was given- courtesy of Mumbo Jumbo- and left the room. 

That was until he quickly realized he had no clue where he was going even with the various signs above his head. After a few wrong turns, he finally found an elevator and sighed a breath of relief. After a short ride, he found himself in what he assumed was a lobby, a quite noticeably excited Evil Xisuma, standing with his counterpart. 

At the sight of Hels, the two smiled. That was quite odd for him, to have people smile at him when they saw him rather than scampering away in fear. Well, now that he wasn’t the ruler of Hels anymore, he supposed the lack of intimidation wasn’t as bad of a problem as it initially was before. 

Hels joined the pair and with one short conversation and another spine crushing hug- to which Xisuma laughed at the strangled noises from Hels- the trio left for the garden. 

But what he didn’t expect when he got to Ex’s flower shop was an all too familiar read sweater and wheat blond hair. The figure opening some chests for white tulips. 

Both Xisuma and Ex must’ve noticed how suddenly the knight stopped in his tracks and turned. Following the rather intense glare Hels was sending him, their eyes landed on one of the other Hermits- Grian. While Ex merely raised a brow at the odd situation, Xisuma seemed to catch on quickly. 

“Ah, I think I know. One second.” Xisuma left the trio to approach Grian, a new grin plastered onto his face as he went. Hels and Ex couldn’t hear their conversation with how far away they were, but with the expressions and gestures and Grian’s brief glance at them, he mouthed the word “Oh”. 

When both Grian and Xisuma began to return, Hels put a hand to the hilt of his sword, his glare hardening more than ever. They walked up to them. 

“Hels,” Xisuma began. “This is Grian. Grian, this is Helsknight, Wels’s evil clone. Hels, Grian wants to know if he in any way was related to the incident the other day.” Xisuma talked slowly and simply, as if Hels was a child. A very tall child. 

Yet, his softer tone let the knight’s hand loosen a bit around the sword. He glanced up and down at the builder, as if he was searching for something. Eventually, he huffed. 

“You’re not him,” he concluded, shoving the sword back into its sheath.

Grian glanced at Xisuma who simply shrugged. He looked back at Hels. “Not who?” 

“The little demon of yours, the NPC.” 

Instantly, Grian’s face twisted into deep concern at the all too familiar name. “Oh...What did he do?” 

Before Hels could answer Ex, chimed in. “Um, can we talk about that later? We have some stuff to do.” Wordlessly and with a glare from Xisuma, the other 3 nodded, Grian mumbling something along some kind of apology. Within seconds, he flew off and out of the shopping district. 

Inevitably, that was going to be brought up later. 

Xisuma clapped his hands together. “Well, I’ll leave you both to it then. Ex, don't make him do anything too strenuous and don’t be rude.” With a nod from his counterpart, Xisuma left as well to some other shops nearby. 

“Phew, thought you were gonna kill him for a second. I mean he’ll respawn, but that would still cause commotion. Anyways, the garden is another shop or two down. One of the other hermits helped make a greenhouse!” 

Abandoning his previous mood, Hels chuckled at the sudden change in Ex’s train of thought. He then became curious. 

“Ex, are you...alright…in the head? You tend to jump back and forth between different topics faster than most people I know.” While they walked, Ex skipped in his steps a bit. 

“Hm, I’m not sure. Xisuma said there’s definitely something. Something called um….AHDD?” 

“You mean ADHD?” 

“I think so. He said it means my brain isn’t wired to follow the normal train of thought and I have some trouble with other things of the sort.” Ex spun his fingers around the sides of his head to emphasize his point. They kept walking. 

“Problems like what?” 

Ex thought for a second, trying to recall what Xisuma had told him. “I’m not sure. He says it’s stuff like transitioning from different tasks or….like starting new tasks or trying to stop doing tasks. It also means I mostly pay attention when it’s a topic I’m interested in.” 

“Huh, sounds about right. Well, I thought I’d ask.” Ex perked up. 

“What about you? Anything wrong in your head?” 

Hels hummed and absentmindedly answered. “Anything Wels struggled with. Usually just anxiety and some phobias, nothing too extreme.” 

“What are you anxious about?” The greenhouse was coming up on a small hill. 

“Well, I’m high and mighty, but sometimes I start questioning it. And the questioning leads to further thought about it, which usually just spirals into hours of overthinking. Sometimes even an anxiety attack.” The lack of restraint from pouring out that answer surprised the knight briefly. 

“What’s that?” 

“An anxiety attack?” They approached the greenhouse and stopped at the doors. 

“Well, I kind of know. But yeah, that.” 

“Just means I get really scared and cry in a corner mostly. But they’re different for others. Some like being touched during consolation, others don’t. Just depends.” They walked inside and the aroma of the fresh plants came at them instantly. 

“Do you like being touched during an anxiety attack? What do I do if you have one?” 

“We can save that conversation for a later date, okay?” Hels huffed. Ex nodded. With the sight of the flowers, Hels could practically see the counterpart’s mind shifting gears. 

“Okay, so I mostly need help with the tulips. Xisuma said nothing too strenuous, so you can pick some and give them to me while I make dye. Good?” 

Hels nodded. “Alright, let's start then.” 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me 🤝 the other Bee  
> Making Ex  
> a flower-loving  
> cinnamon roll  
> in our fics


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Grian wonders a bit about the Hels dimension and Hels (the knight) has a lovely nap in the greenhouse. 
> 
> Characters: Grian, Helsknight, Evil Xisuma
> 
> TW: None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it.

* * *

Grian couldn’t help but to wonder about the incident involving the NPC. With some further questioning, Xisuma had told him that it was the NPC that landed Hels in the Overworld. That there were other evil alter egos of all of the Hermits and they successfully attempted dethroning Hels from being champion. 

Oddly, Grian felt a bit bad about it. He didn’t know why for sure but he did. The builder thought he banished the NPC or at least disabled him without a second thought that maybe he’d be back.

But Hels wasn’t one of their main dimensions. From Xisuma’s research, it was like the Nether just darker and moodier and almost all the land was covered in lava. He said plants don’t grow there, most entities don’t last more than a day upon spawn. There were still some entities that belonged in the Nether that resided in Hels, but not many. It was mostly overrun by overly competitive player-like mobs. Namely, the Evil Hermits. 

Absentmindedly, he began continuing on the back of his castle. He needed something to do while he thought about it, after all. Grian wondered further. 

NPC Grian wasn’t exactly what he’d call the official “Evil Grian”. But if the universe said so, he supposed it wasn’t too much nonsense. The thing was a demon after all. 

Quickly, the builder ran through stacks of concrete and prismarine.

But nonetheless, he still felt bad. It wasn’t his fault that Hels was stabbed and almost died, though technically Grian was the one who summoned the demon in the first place and banished him to a random dimension fit for his actions. Grian also thought about the fact of survival. He would’ve guessed that NPC wouldn’t have survived this long, not unless he was endowed with powerful abilities. 

Which he certainly had but it was bound to run out at some point.

How did the Evil Hermits survive? Why weren’t they killed off? None of the other Hermits made clones of themselves like Wels did. Wels has said that Hels said something about finally having a vessel or something. It only made his head hurt to keep thinking about it. 

Nonetheless, despite his demented personality, Grian hoped that Hels didn’t hold a grudge against him for too long. 

Finally, he was out of materials. Only about a quarter of the back was left to finish so he called it a day. 

While Giran continued with his own activities, Ex was having a lovely time rambling about how to make flower dye to the knight sitting across from him on the floor. 

“So basically, you just grind the petals up in the bowl here with a little bit of water. If you want darker colors, just add some squid ink. With lighter colors, you have to take some white dye and slowly add the other color because you can’t make light colors the other way around.” Ex thought for a second. “Kind of like paint!” 

Hels hummed in response, continuing to pick and replace tulips while Ex continued to ramble. 

“Hm, I should try painting. Maybe we should do that next time like finger painting. I think one of the Hermits figured out how to make canvases to paint on. Lots of wool involved since we can’t get cotton. Oh! Speaking of wool, I took up a knitting class a while ago. We can try that too and I can help you! I think you’ll look nice in a sweater. Anyways-“ 

The knight simply began tuning out Ex’s random thoughts, occasionally nodding or ‘mhm’-ing. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the afternoon sun beginning to set, casting an orange glow in the greenhouse over the various flowers.

Had they really been there that long? That time span was quite a jump from how long their last hang out was. Without thinking, Hels yawned, catching Ex’s attention immediately.

“You tired? You can stop if you like, I have another batch I need to make so I can restock so I won’t be stopping for a little while.” Ex continued grinding at the petals while he spoke. Hels stopped his task with a grunt and leaned against the trap doors outside the flowerbeds, opting to just watch while Ex finished his work. 

It was odd to see him with so much concentration given his general personality. 

The sun lowered even more and a dim blue rested over the room. The soft grinding of the stone, occasional paper-like brush of the new flowers pulled away from their pile, and the crickets chirping outside brought on a serine night. Without thinking much about it, Hels closed his eyes. Though he didn’t intend to fall asleep, the knight rested further against the trap door, soon going more limp to indicate that he was now sleeping. 

Well, a nap wouldn’t hurt.

Ex didn’t immediately notice while he was  _ in the zone _ that Hels had even fallen asleep. Not until he grinded out the last few petals an hour later and dumped the remaining dye into a bucket that was placed between him and Hels. He stopped and gazed at the sleeping knight, only this time he didn’t see the peaceful expression Hels wore the day before. A frown spread across Hels’s face, almost as if he seemed sad. 

A scowl, Ex could probably dismiss. But this didn’t sit right. Apologetically, he shook Hels’s shoulder. 

“Hels...Hels wake up.” The action seemed to startle the knight out of his sleep. He jumped and sat up quickly, looking around frantically. That was until he rubbed at his eyes and sighed through his nose. 

“I ‘m….I fell asleep,” he pointed out groggily. 

Ex merely stared at him with a hint of worry. “You looked sad...And what was that? You nearly jumped out of your skin!” 

Hels was still processing what the man was saying but managed to catch on to what he implied. “Nnn....Nightmare...I thiiink….” He yawned widely. “We done yet...? ‘M still tired.” 

Ex chuckled at his quite drunken tiredness. Again, like the day before, he wondered if Hels knew what he was saying. Perhaps that was a habit of his that Ex seemed to discover. The knight looked around blankly, eyes stopping on a bundle of roses in the corner and making a face at it. 

“What on Earth is that….” He then blinked a few times, eyes widening briefly. “Oh wait, still greenhouse. M’kay then.” 

Without thinking, Ex began to laugh. “Hels, do you hear yourself?” 

“Jus’ tired, we’re goin’ home now.” 

“Alright then, I suppose I’ll just stock in the morning. We’re gonna go to my house then since you don’t have a place at the moment.” Giving him a hand, Ex lifted Hels from the floor. Now, the knight seemed a bit more awake at the sudden movement. 

And became aware of the aching in his lower back and rear from his hour long position. 

“Unfortunately, my place is quite a ways away so we’ll have to fly. Do you know how to use elytra? I have a couple in a chest near the door.” Hels nodded and the two each grabbed a pair. 

Ex watched as Hels’s eyes widened in a sort of wonder at how the bug-like wings morphed into deep black and red bat-like wings. The knight looked back at him as if to say ‘Did you just see that?!’. The other grinned as his own set slowly changed into sharp dark grey feathered wings. 

“Okay, you’ve  _ got _ to lend me one of these.”

“All yours! Just follow behind me. Shouldn’t be more than a five minute flight.” Hels nodded once more for the millionth time that day and the two hopped into the sky with rockets in hand. 

* * *


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Ex and Hels go to meet other Hermits but a certain butcher throws Hels into a panic attack. 
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, Evil Xisuma, Doc, Xisuma mention, Giran mention, Scar mention, and Beef is there briefly 
> 
> TW: Panic attack, asthma attack mentions, stuff like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely helping out with posting it.

* * *

After that whole ordeal, the two continued to meet at other areas in the map for the next week. Ex proposed the idea to give Hels a little tour, mostly sticking around the shopping district. 

“And this is Grumbot, they said he got all messed up so they built a little private world for him,” said Evil Xisuma. They landed on the perch just in front of a small window and peeked inside. “Still happy as ever,” he mused. 

“What does it do? Does it have some kind of purpose?” 

“Ah, well while I was still staying in Xisuma’s base, they had some kind of election for a mayor of the shopping district. Grumbot if I’m correct was supposed to help Mumbo in winning.” 

Hels nodded slowly at the answer. “Alright then...Did he win?” 

Ex shook his head with pursed lips. “No, Scar won. He got all the diamonds everyone spent on plots of land for their shops to use for repairs and new stuff and whatnot.” 

Hels hummed in response. “Well no wonder Grumbot was so upset. I hope he’s a good leader. When you had me meet him, he didn’t seem much like the leading type. He’s all soft.”

“Soft, yes. But he’s kind to the Hermits and myself. I believe he’s had quite a rough past which probably made way for some kind of pity vote here and there if you ask me.” 

Hels gave Ex a pointed look, completely disregarding Ex’s last statement. “Rough past?” 

“Yeah, I dunno if you saw that he’s covered head to toe in scars, which is probably where the name came from, but he’s said something here and there about some people he’s come across a long time ago.” The man shrugged. “I don’t know a whole lot about it.” 

Hels looked back at the smiling Grumbot. “Well, with a good origin story emerges some kind of hero, I suppose.” 

“That’s odd coming from you. I think you’re spending too much time around Xisuma.” The knight merely responded by playfully punching him in the arm.

Then Hels wondered. “Why wasn’t Xisuma the mayor, though? He’s the ruler of-“ Hels gestured around them vaguely “-All of this.” 

Ex shook his head. “I thought so too, but he said he’s not the one who makes all the decisions around here and he’s not fitting for the job anyways. Apparently everyone helps with all the decision making and whatnot.” 

Hels hummed, considering the thought. “Alright then, shall we continue? I believe there’s some Hermits you haven’t introduced me to. I’ve heard that there’s a creeper-cyborg-guy running around. Something about goats?” 

Ex laughed at the thought of Hels meeting Doc. “I actually think the two of you may get along quite well! Same with Joe Hills. His poetry and your dramatic speeches certainly go hand in hand.” He eyed Hels with a grin while the knight rolled his eyes. “But yes, we can continue. Though, I would like you to meet Beef as well but Wels lives near his place. I think it’d be cool to meet the person who practically created you.”

“Well, the vessel anyways.” 

“Right, let's head off then and give Grumbot some privacy.” 

With that, the two lifted off once more, this time coming across a weirdly shaped mountain miles away accompanied by a large house split into halves. As they landed, they spotted Doc hardly a few meters away. The creeper was too busy moving items to different chests repeatedly, probably sorting, to notice the new company. 

“Hello, Doc! I’d like to introduce you to a new friend of mine that’s gonna live on the server for a while!” 

Ex must’ve startled the old man. An easy assumption when Doc quite harshly smacked the back of his head on the lid of the chest while standing. Glancing at Evil Xisuma, he rubbed at his neck. 

“Next time, I’d rather not have people sneaking up on me.” His eyes then landed on Hels. “Woah, did Wels go through an emo phase?” He chuckled at his own joke. 

“Hardy har har. I’m his evil clone.” 

Doc merely rolled his eyes. “I’m not surprised. Beef was asking for some help regarding his cloning machine after you were created.” 

Hels raised a brow at the comment. “And what’s that supposed to mean?” 

Doc just shrugged. “Dunno. Probably doesn’t want more evil clones running around.” He clapped his hands together. “Anyways! What can I do for you guys, I’m a bit busy at the moment so you’ll have to be quick,” Doc ended with a pointed glare at Hels.

“Just needed to introduce him to everyone and we’ll be on our way. Nothing much else than that. I’ll just let him wander a bit and look around if that’s alright.” 

“Fine with me, just don’t use my villagers, farms, or break anything that takes a lot of effort to replace.” Doc waved a hand dismissively as he walked back over to his chest, beginning to sort again. 

With that, Hels looked up at the mountain near them. “Hey, what’s with the mountain? Looks like an animal head.” 

Without removing his focus from the chest, Doc simply replied, “It’s a goat.” 

“Alright then.” Hels looked over at Ex. “I don’t believe there’s too much to look at over here, we can move on. If you’d like me to meet Beef now, we can do that.” 

Doc couldn’t help but to glance at them after Hels’s suggestion. “I thought Wels doesn’t want you near his base.” 

“Mind your business old man.” 

Doc glared at the knight once more and turned back to his chest, grumbling something under his breath along the lines of  _ ‘I’m not that old’ _ . The pair snorted at the scientist. 

“Okay, let's go then.” 

It wasn’t a very long flight this time, much to Hels’s surprise. He thought Beef lived much farther away than where he settled. The sandstone village came into view within hardly a couple minutes. 

But for some reason, Hels found the village intimidating. 

“I wonder if he’s here, he’s not around a lot,” Ex prefaced. As if on cue, the butcher came into view from the blacksmith, several iron bars and end rods piled in his arms. “Ah, nevermind then. Let’s say hello!” 

Before Ex went approaching Beef, he was caught short by the wrist. He turned and found the knight gripping it quite harshly, a frown deepening on his face. 

“Hels, would you please let go of me?” 

The knight pulled him back a foot or two behind the building. “Um, actually maybe we can just do this later. He seems busy.” 

Ex cocked his head to the side. “That didn’t stop us with Doc, Mumbo, Grian, Star, Xisuma, Stress, Ren-“ Hels shushed him quickly. 

“No, I don’t care. Let’s just go.” Hels tugged on his wrist once more, Ex not budging from his current placement. Worry suddenly became evident in his expression. 

“Is something wrong?” 

Hels just shook his head, a flush creeping across his face, but oddly enough, Ex recognized that it wasn’t the good kind. “No- Please will you just come with m-“

“Is everything alright over here?” The knight stopped mid pull. To his left, Beef stood with purple glittered hands on his hips. “Why are you pulling on him like that, let the dude go.” 

Without hesitation, Hels slipped his hand away. “Sorry,” he mumbled. He exhaled shakily. 

Beef raised a brow almost in unison with Ex. “You’re not looking so hot, are you feeling okay? There’s a library behind you if you wanna sit in there.” 

“Hels, I dunno if you know this but you’re pale. Like  _ really _ pale. Do I need to call Stress and Xisuma?” 

The knight shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head again, harder this time. “Beef please leave,” he croaked. With a slight nod, the butcher left. “I um-“ Hels swallowed thickly, “-Ex, remember when uh- when I said that I get scared sometimes and cry in a corner?” 

Ex had to think for a second before his eyes widened. “Is that what’s happening right now?” He looked around frantically. “There’s not really any good corners here-“ 

“No- No, I just- please just take me somewhere else, I need to be out of this village. What’s uh- where’s the nearest place?” 

“Closest place is Wels’s base but we can’t go there.” 

Yeah, that would probably make it worse, especially if the other knight was at his base. Then, Hels had an idea.

“Chorus fruit,” he exhaled. 

“What?” 

“Do you have chorus fruit.” 

Ex nodded with an “Oh” and pulled the round purple fruit from his inventory. Immediately, Hels snatched one from him. 

“Take a bite on three and hold my hand.” Ex did so. With the final number, the two took a bite and, almost too conveniently, they landed at the greenhouse. Hels didn’t let go of his hand, however, the grip only became much tighter while he dragged them both to the floor. 

“Do I need to get someone?” 

Hels shook his head, screwing his eyes shut. 

“What do I do then?” 

The knight struggled for words through vigorous shaking. He just kept shaking his head and leaned into the other, taking the held hand into both of his own. 

Ex honestly had no clue what to do. He’s never seen this happen to any of the other Hermits, let alone Hels. But one thing he did know is that a person shouldn’t really be breathing that frantically. 

That then tied to a memory back to an event involving Scar. The terraformer had asthma, he knew. He could vaguely pinpoint a moment where Grian had helped him out of an asthma attack. And while he did so, he had Ex retrieve Stress. The evil hermit caught on to the breathing exercises the two followed before following through with his task. 

Would that work? Hels didn’t have asthma. Ex wasn’t even sure if those exercises were even for whatever was happening right now. 

“Hey- Hey Hels, I’m going to try something. This will be stupid, but bare with me.” He lightly tapped the other on his shoulder with his free hand and Hels lifted his face ever so slightly to face him a bit more. “Good job,“ he repeated the words from Grian. “I need you to breathe with me, can you do that?” 

Initially, Hels shook his head once more. But a second after he stopped, there was a small hint at a nod. 

“Awesome, just follow my lead.” Ex inhaled slowly through his nose while the knight followed his first step, albeit shakily. He then exhaled out of his mouth, letting Hels take his time to follow again after another bout of shallow breaths. “You’re doing great,” he parroted again. “We’re going to do that a few more times.” 

And again, they did. Inhale through the nose, exhale out of the mouth. Granted, when Scar was having his troubles, he had some kind of machinery next to him to help him breathe, but at least this was close. Inhale again through the nose, then exhale out of the mouth. 

Absentmindedly, the evil hermit trailed his fingers over the other’s back lightly. He didn’t honestly expect this to work, he thought someone was going to have to come help him. He knew for sure that he was going to have to tell someone about what happened but he’d cross that bridge when he got to it. 

Soon, Hels had his face tucked into the crook of Ex’s neck, much to Ex’s dismay. He loved the guy but he’d rather his suit not be wet with tears. Still, he kept his own firm grip in the tangle of fingers between their legs and the attack died down into minimal shaking. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” He proposed. Hels pulled himself away from the other’s chest and Ex practically felt his own heart break at the sight. There was the courageous and merciless knight, red faced and puffy eyed, a few tears still making their way down his cheeks, others merely sticking to them. Hels wiped at them pathetically. 

“Yeah.” 

“Okay then, what happened? What caused it?” 

Hels meekly shrugged. “The village I guess. I dunno for sure.” 

“Was it Beef? You wanted him to leave almost as soon as he came to talk.” 

The knight stuttered. Ex was a bit too blunt for his liking when it came to asking questions. “I- I don’t know- He’s not even that bad. There was…” he took a deep breath. This was pathetic. Here was one of the strongest and most powerful people in Hels talking about his feelings. “The village kind of did it before we even landed,” he finally concluded. 

Ex shifted in his spot. “Well, would it help to tell you about something I’m afraid of? Or at least used to be? Xisuma does it sometimes when I’m scared.” 

The corners of Hels’s mouth twitched upwards just slightly. “Sure.” 

“Flowers.” 

“F...flowers? You’re afraid of flowers and you own a flower shop and a greenhouse?” The knight sat up more.

Ex wagged a finger with his free hand. For a second upon noticing this, Hels let go of his other hand. “I said ‘or at least used to be’. I’m not afraid of them much anymore, a little unnerving with some specific kinds, but they’re my favorite thing in the world right now!” 

The evil hermit knew he must’ve been doing something right when Hels let out a snort. “Flowers….who would believe.” He shook his head, lightly this time. 

“Xisuma certainly found it odd. When I was still in my bad guy days, I came through this portal and everything and I told him I was gonna kill him. He was like ‘What’s stopping you?’ and at the time he was holding flowers.” The knight nodded along to his story. “After that I just ran away and-“ 

“The Lord of Darkness called you an idiot. I remember that because everyone in Hels heard it.” 

Ex pulled a hand to his chest in mock offense. “He did  _ not _ !” He laughed. “Okay maybe he did.” 

The two fell into silence, now noticing the sun falling behind the hills slowly. A minute passed. 

“What’s Xisuma afraid of?” asked Hels. 

“Xisuma? Oh, he’s afraid of a lot of things. A lot more than me, I think and I’m scared of everything.” Hels chuckled at his phrasing. “Hm, I think he said one time that he was actually quite terrified of Enderman. But he’s not like….run away kind of scared. He’ll attack them when they scare him.” 

“Fight or flight,” Hels muttered. Ex took notice to the setting sun. 

“We should get going, I don’t want you falling asleep in here again. Are we going to go back to Beef at some point? Or we could meet him somewhere else.” 

Hels shrugged. “I don’t know. I think it'll be fine if you give it a couple days.” He yawned. “Jeez, that wore me out.” 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bee just posted this one after I got done with this and then I saw in the summary bit that Hels has an anxiety attack and I was like oh shit oh fuck


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Wels makes it apparent that something about him is changing....and not for the better. 
> 
> Characters: Beef and Wels
> 
> TW: Implied threats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply assisting with posting it here.

* * *

Wels heard a knock at his front door. It didn’t surprise him in the slightest, not hardly sparing a glance from the steak in the furnace. With the addition of his presence, Beef became a frequent visitor. Usually to joke around, other times to buy some quick materials off of him. The knight stood from his crouched position in front of the furnace and brushed himself off. Another knock sounded at the door. 

“I’m coming!” When he opened the door, he was met with the all too familiar face of his neighbor. “Hey, Beef! What brings you here?” 

Beef briefly grinned at him but Wels raised a brow when that smile fell quickly. 

“I’ve gotta talk to you about Helsknight. As weird as I know it’s probably gonna sound, I’m worried about him.” 

The knight pieced together the statement in his head slowly. “You….are worried….about _Helsknight_? Did I hear that right?” 

The butcher nodded. “I know, I know, it sounds odd but hear me out. He and Ex came by the other day. Evil Xisuma’s been showing him around the map, having him meet the Hermits and all that.” 

“Okay, sounds like they had a good time.” 

Beef rolled his eyes. Wels showed no sign of concern for his evil counterpart. For good reason, Beef guessed. “That’s the thing, I don’t think Hels _did_. See, I was in the blacksmith grabbing some stuff because I was fixing the cloning machine and I think he saw what I was doing.” 

“So what happened?” 

“Well, I came back and he’s got Ex grabbed by the wrist.” He huffed at the sudden disdain crossing Wels’s face. “But for good reason. I decided to go over, ask if everything was alright, I told him to let go and he did so with _no_ hesitation.” 

“I suppose that’s….odd?” 

“But I looked up at him and he was _pale_ , Wels. The kid was shaking in his boots and he would not look at anyone. Asked me to leave less than a minute after I walked over there.” He rubbed at his neck sheepishly. “I mean I left them, but I stuck around the building to see what was going on.” 

Finally, some kind of emotion that wasn’t disregard or confusion deepened in the knight’s face. Beef couldn’t quite put his finger on it but one thought suggested guilt.

“Ah….did you see what happened?” 

“Full blown panic attack. He looked terrified, Wels. At some point, they just ate some chorus fruit and landed somewhere else.” 

Wels thought about it for a second. “You don’t happen to think that….maybe he thought that you were-“

“I was gonna hurt him? Do something to the cloning machine to reverse what happened? Probably get rid of him? Oh yeah, I thought about that a lot.” 

“See that’s what I find interesting. He didn’t seem like he was afraid of anything at the time. He said he was all the bad things about me and whatnot. Pride, malice, pure hatred for literally everything,” Wels listed. “What if he’s also like….my anxiety.” 

“You think so?” Beef shrugged. “I wouldn’t have been too surprised. You walked out of that machine like nothing bad had ever happened in your life.” Then a thought hit him. “Yet, you’ve been acting a little more…. _off_ lately. Not as positive as you were before.” 

Wels was confused to say the least. “I don’t feel off,” he stated blandly, mood suddenly changing. 

The butcher rubbed at his chin while he thought. “Right, right. Well, at some point I think you’d be better off treating Hels as….ya know, a person. Honestly, Xisuma is treating him better than you are.” 

The knight rolled his eyes with an annoyed huff. “Xisuma is nice to everyone. If I don’t want him around me, that’s my choice. He’s evil, Beef. A mere panic attack doesn’t change that.” The knight only shot a look of disdain at the butcher while he spoke. 

Beef practically had to pick his jaw up off the floor from the phrasing. He blinked a couple times. “Okay, that’s bad.” He laughed nervously. “There’s something wrong with you, man.” 

His point was only emphasized when the knight moved his hand to the hilt of his sword. “My _food_ should be done cooking now, if you’ll please leave me be, that would be nice.” 

A lot of hesitation ran through the butcher’s body but after opening and closing his mouth a few times, he couldn’t formulate anything. He wordlessly turned around and muttered out a, “Yeah- I’ll just…” Then, he took off to his village. 

Behind him, he didn’t see the piercing blue eyed glare.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao I was copying this from the document then got side tracked seeing Bee added more stuff so I read to the end and saw their little cursor there and was like o hai


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Hels takes a visit on his own to Beef and things don’t go as he initially planned. Not to mention, he seems to be changing too. 
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, Beef, Ex mention, Impulse mention, Wels mention
> 
> TW: Implied threats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely assisting with posting it here.

* * *

Less than a week later, Hels had met each and every Hermit on the server- except Beef. He saw their bases, Scar’s village being his personal favorites, and had at least one decent conversation with at least half of them. Others he simply greeted and they had other tasks to perform before they had a chance to get to know him.

It was odd having so many people view him as nothing more than another Hermit. They didn’t fear him in the slightest, not even Stress. Though, he’d admit the little lady was a tiny ball of wrath if you wronged her. But again, he was very soon simply able to visit everyone as he pleased. 

With that also came the ability to claim some land to build on. He couldn’t stay in Ex’s base despite the reoccurring offer, the knight needed  _ some _ privacy at least. He opted for a smaller, similar castle to what Grian had built. Maybe he’d add some of his own touches. Instead of prismarine, he’d use Nether brick, and many decorations revolved around obsidian and basalt. 

Unfortunately today, Ex was unavailable to assist him in the beginnings of the castle, but it wasn’t like he practiced a bit in building sometimes. Compared to many of the other residents in Hels, he was one of the better builders. It wasn’t every day people from Hels were visiting the Nether building bastions like he did.

Hels decided about half the size of his reference would be good enough. He didn’t need anything large and luxurious. Just enough for a few farms and storage. The Hermits were nice, but not everyone could just walk on in and use each other’s farms and villagers without paying a price and he had no intentions for IOUs with his immense lack of diamonds.

This wasn’t new to him, at least. In Hels, everyone was greedy and kept to themselves and their farms so he’d always usually build his own. Though, usually it was blown up within a couple days. 

Finally, he had a floor plan set up on a hill near Ex’s base. It was funny how many flowers and greenery there was on the outside of it, certainly more than Hels could count just by staring. He had to admit, it was a bit of an eyesore for those who flew by. Ex wasn’t exactly an amazing builder. Hels could still see some dirt blocks hanging around a mile away accompanied by several wool, concrete, glass, cobblestone, brick, and whatever else kind of blocks possibly existed in the game. 

Still, he kept to himself for the entire afternoon, not once taking a probably well needed break. That was until he had finished the facade of it. He stepped back and admired his work with a grin. Unfortunately, no other hermits were around to gawk at the detail of it, but he was sure someone would fly by eventually. 

With that, he decided he was done for the day. It was the early evening so he could do more, but it could wait. He could find something else to do. 

Ex still wasn’t back to check on the knight and Hels never saw the figure of him fly to his own base. He must’ve been quite busy to be gone for that many hours. Whatever Impulse needed him for, it was taking quite a long time. Not that it mattered of course, Hels thought. He was willing to wait. 

Alone. 

On his front steps. 

No other bases around than the empty one a hundred blocks away. 

He sighed. Well, that was pathetic- pitying himself. It wasn’t like the other Hermits weren’t almost constantly busy. Even if Ex was finished with his tasks with Impulse, he had every right to go spend time with other people. Not like he hadn’t practically been glued to Hels’s side for the last week. 

He stood from the steps and threw on his elytra again. Today, he decided, was the day he’d go back to the sandstone village and greet Beef again. This time not through puffy eyes and heaving breaths. He was Helsknight for crying out loud, he could handle anything. He also just needed something to do. 

And yet, the anxiety still stood. Lord only knew what Wels told him and what he probably thought of Hels but considering their last interaction, the butcher most likely had no ill intentions. Like the other Hermits, he treated Hels just the same as he would anyone else. 

That was, if he wasn’t stuck on the whole “Wow, I made a clone successfully” thing. Hels wouldn’t have been surprised if the man didn’t poke and prod at him and ask a million questions a minute. Given a particularly invasive recent interaction between himself and Doc, he wouldn’t have been surprised. The old man was more curious than he looked. 

With that being said, the knight took a deep breath and lifted off into the sky quickly. 

And within a second, he had already forgotten where on earth the little village even was. He groaned and pulled out a map. 

Minutes later, he finally made it to his destination. He landed near where they landed the time before next to the library and peeked his head around the corner. What was he hiding from, Hels honestly had no clue. Despite being a couple buildings away, he could hear the whirring of some kind of machinery and a periodic clanking of metal. 

Well, better to get it over with now than wait and hide like a coward. Oddly, the thought turned his head to the general direction of where Wels’s base was, but he disregarded it. 

The knight peered into the building and watched as Beef replaced several different parts of the machinery. The butcher whistled and hummed while he worked with his back towards Hels. Only after circling the machine did he notice Hels watching while he leaned against the wall. He practically leaped into the machine itself. 

“Holy- Jeez! Don’t scare me like that!” Beef laughed. He tilted his head with a confused grin. “You’re the last person I expected to be here.” 

“Hm, well, I thought it was about time I came back. You’re the only hermit I haven’t had the pleasure of actually greeting. I also uh...came to apologize for what happened the other day.”

Despite the kind statement, it only made Beef frown, remembering his recent interaction with the other knight. “Wow, you’re….different than I expected.” 

Hels cocked his head to the side with a raised brow. “What do you mean?” 

The butcher rubbed at his neck. “Just nicer I guess? At least nicer than what Wels depicted you to be. Though, given what he’s said to me recently, I think I know why.” 

That only made Hels more curious. “What did he say?” he asked. 

“Nothing too bad, I guess. He’s just not  _ him _ , ya know? More ignorant I would say and...threatening.” Beef sighed through his nose. “Anyways, hope you were okay after the other day. You weren’t looking too hot.” 

Now it was Hels’s turn to rub at his neck. “Right, yeah, I am. Village just gave me a scare, iron golems aren’t the nicest.” Too easily, Beef could tell he was lying through his teeth. 

“Are you sure? Nothin’ about this machine here?” The knight’s breathing hitched and much to Beef’s surprise, he stammered. This wasn’t the egotistical ignorant knight he had expected from Wels’s descriptions. 

“Well I’m- I’m sure that might be one reason,” Hels laughed nervously. 

“If I may ask, how’ve you been feeling recently?” Beef stepped closer to Hels, this time with his head lower into a glare. “More emotional?” He stepped again. “Careful?” Step. “A bit more kind?” One more step and he had Hels by the wall. “Not  _ yourself _ ?” 

Beef then unsheathed his sword. 

“Oh, um- I just-“ The knight kept stuttering and pressing himself into the wall as if Beef was practically a ravager. He was frozen in place. This was it. This was where he’d die and he’d never see Ex again. Bracing for the attack, the knight screwed his eyes shut and ducked his head. 

That was until Beef stepped away again with wide eyes.

“You didn’t fight back....” 

“Wh….” He lifted his head, slowly opening his head. “ _ What _ ?” Hels heaved. 

“I was testing something, don't worry.” Beef put the sword back in its sheath. “I was trying to threaten you but you didn’t pull the sword on me.” Reminded of Wels’s current state, he visibly deflated. “Oh this is bad. This is very bad.” 

The butcher continued to ramble and Hels watched while he paced around the cloning machine. This was utterly confusing, what was he talking about?! Hels just wanted to have a nice conversation. 

“Does this have to do with Evil X?!” Beef finally concluded, growing more exasperated. 

“I don’t….understand. What’s wrong here? Am I missing something?” 

Beef tugged at his hair. “Hels, dude, you’re starting to act like Wels- well- Wels a few weeks ago. I mean he would’ve drawn his sword if someone was threatening him though...” Again, Beef started rambling. “But even then, he wouldn’t resort to immediately attacking, he’d say something to get me to stop, wouldn’t he?” 

“Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Wels, but I think I’m gonna go-“ Before Hels could leave, he was grabbed by the wrist. 

“Hels, I need you to stay  _ here _ . Something is wrong with you and Wels, I can feel it.” 

Suddenly, Hels seemed quite upset, not hardly trying to escape from the grip around his face. “And why do I need the help when Wels is your  _ friend _ ? I’m just a clone. You can just get rid of me.” 

Beef gasped as if Hels said something offensive. “Because I care, Hels! I created you! You’re not just some clone to me!” He deflated and dragged a hand down his face. “I- You’re just important, alright? I created you and- well, you’re sentimental. I just want to help you.” The butcher let go of the knight sadly. 

Though, what he didn’t expect was a set of arms to wrap around him tightly. 

* * *


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Beef and Doc begin a plan to bring the two knights back into balance.
> 
> Characters: Evil Xisuma, Helsknight, Doc, Beef, Wels mentions, Xisuma mentions, Impulse mentions, etc. 
> 
> TW: None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it.

* * *

Ex was confused when he couldn’t find Hels at his new base after finally finishing his tasks with Impulse. He didn’t think the man was too interested in simply visiting other Hermits without some sort of personal gain or without Ex in general. 

Well, a step in the right direction he supposed. Though, now he was lonely and needed someone to bother and the majority of the Hermits were busy with their projects. Even Xisuma which Ex hardly cared enough to huff about. 

That was if the knight hadn’t gone back to Hels. 

With the waiting game came more spiraling thoughts. Back and forth his mind went between over a hundred different ideas. 

And yet, he stilled on one. The new knowledge that he in fact liked Hels romantically. Loved him, even. At least he and Xisuma thought. 

While Hels was beginning to warm up to Ex much more than he thought was even possible, it still lingered in his mind that the entity wasn’t exactly made of anything good. Romance being one of them. Wels was more common to be the one lightly kissing the knuckles of the ladies and shower others in compliments. Hels merely made snarky insults. 

But that wasn’t the case now, he knew. That was certainly odd to him. Hels was showing more liking to praise and general affection be it a pat on the back or a light punch to the shoulder. He even began reciprocating some himself and Ex, despite really knowing the other for just less than a month, knew that even that wasn’t very like him. 

Maybe with the lack of status as the Champion, he might’ve thought to finally put in some effort to be kind. Not to mention that if he continued with the plots to destroy the server like Ex did, he too would get banned to the void until he mustered up enough power to return again. And that in itself was a hefty task that Ex didn’t want Hels to ever go through. 

Emerging from the lava _burned_ . Summoning ghasts was _exhausting_ . Trapping Xisuma in other games was just not worth the trouble he went through to make it happen. Especially since it was all for nothing and in the end, it was just better to _be_ better. Do good and whatnot, help the hermits, apologize to Xisuma. 

Possibly, that could be what was happening but Hels hadn’t really existed for so long. Not long enough to really constitute for some kind of redemption. 

And again, Ex could be waiting for nothing. The knight could’ve just made it seem like he was staying and be nice but he could’ve just found another way back to Hels and Ex would be back to square one trying to make more friends again and the other evil Hermits weren’t exactly the nicest bunch. 

Though it was a thought in the back of his head, he pulled his communicator from his pocket and simply decided to contact Hels. 

_< EvilXisuma> Hels where are you _

It was already strange how long it took to respond. At least a good minute or two.

_< Helsknight> I’m fine if that’s what you’re asking. With Beef. _

Again, strange. Maybe he planned to finally talk to Beef. But he wanted to be sure everything was alright with the knight. 

_< EvilXisuma> Can I come over there _

_< Helsknight> Sure._

As he threw on his elytra, his communicator buzzed again. Must’ve been one of the other Hermits but he wasn’t fond of stacking notifications. Before lifting off, he took one last check on it. 

_< Welsknight> Beef why is Hels with you? I said for him to stay away _

_< VintageBeef> Checking up on some things_

_< VintageBeef> You should probably come here too. Somethings up._

_< Welsknight> No._

Last Ex checked, Wels would’ve gladly come to the butcher’s village if it was urgent. He knew the knight was a fan of his own time but he’s not the type to reject such a request. It also got Ex thinking about what Hels was doing with Beef. If he was with Beef and something odd was happening, did Hels have something to do with it? 

Especially since Wels wasn’t acting like himself. And Ex hoped that he was just in a bad mood from losing all of his stuff for the third time that season.

He took to the skies with that thought and it took no time at all to land directly in front of the building that held the cloning machine. He could hear some kind of conversation, though not enough to understand what was happening just by eavesdropping. But that wasn’t what he was here for. He came to see what was going on for himself.

He didn’t quite prepare himself for what he saw though. 

Beef, and Doc surprisingly, we’re at Hels’s sides while the evil hermit sat slumped on a table at the back of the room, noticeably uncomfortable with the situation. Now this _was_ unusual and he hoped it had nothing to do with the machine that was evidently repaired with finer craftsmanship. Sadly, Ex was wrong. 

“What’s going on here?” He asked. 

The two other men glanced at each other with slight concern and that only made Ex’s stomach churn. Beef made a gesture to the scientist to ask him to explain. Doc sighed. 

“Well, to be blunt, something went wrong with that machine when Hels over here was created. That or the fact that he inhabited the vessel after it was created but we don’t know if this is what caused whatever is going on right now.” 

“Does that have to do with why Wels-“ 

“Yes, that’s why Wels is being an asshole,” the butcher interrupted. “And Hels is being nicer. Nicer than what would be normal anyways, and emotional.” 

Ex glanced at Hels but the knight avoided his gaze with a frown. “Hels, are you alright?” he simply asked. Wordlessly, the other merely shook his head. “Yeah that’s really odd, especially for him. What do we do then?” 

This time again, it was Doc’s turn to answer. “First, we need to get Wels over here. He’s meeting up with Tango and that’s just an accident waiting to happen. Ex, can you go get him?” 

“Can do. Uh….He won’t kill me though, right? He’s not that evil yet?” 

Something about the tone of the question made Doc’s face twist a bit. “I dunno yet, why?” 

“You realize I can’t respawn, right? He’s a thousand times better at PvP than me, too.” 

The scientist huffed. “All I can say is that you need to fly as fast as possible if anything happens but I doubt it will. Beef said it’s only been happening for about a week so I don’t think he’s that far yet. No offense, but I’m more concerned for Tango here.” The butcher nodded to say he was too. 

Ex only deflated at the last sentence. “Right, right. I’ll get going then.” 

“Just please be careful, if he can’t come here then there’s a possibility that this will go downhill,” Beef added. 

Ex nodded and unfurled his wings, taking off to the Toon Towers. That was where he assumed the pair would be. Otherwise, he’d be looking for hours. If he asked in chat, Wels would probably just interject and try to move them somewhere else. 

Poor Hels. If Wels hasn’t done the stupid cloning thing when the machine was still choppy, none of this would’ve even happened. Hell, Hels probably would’ve never had a vessel if it was all done right the first time, he thought. It wasn’t fun to think about given his current boy problems, but it was plausible. 

As he came up on the towers, he could make out the faint silhouettes of two people on the roof of one of them. One quite obviously laying on the ground and the other….

The other with a drawn sword.

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Wels basically tries to kill Tango.
> 
> Characters: Wels, Tango, Beef mentions
> 
> TW: Hella violent chapter, includes blood and pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it here.

* * *

Even a couple days later after his little dispute with Beef, Wels was still quite annoyed. For those couple days he decided to just stay around his base, careful not to wander over into Beef’s territory. The butcher was now the last person he wanted to see right now and he was fine with staying home alone if it meant he didn’t.

But inevitably, he’d have to leave for some particular reason at some point. Today was that day and he was going to have to meet with Tango. He already rejected the offers to visit or receive visitors from other Hermits, but suspicion was bound to rise if he continued to reject the many invitations. Especially since he started in the series so late. The others wanted to see him again.

That being said, he laid in bed wondering if he could come up with some kind of excuse. He had to breed cows for hours, his portal needed some recalibration, he needed to grind for new stuff because he lost all of it again, something like that. It would be believable but Beef was bound to chatter off to someone. 

Not that Wels thought anything was wrong. He was still the same old chivalrous knight he was for years beforehand, Beef was just overreacting. But if the butcher happened to tell Xisuma what he thought, the admin would definitely ask some questions. 

While he thought, his communicator buzzed a few times. Kicking off his blanket with a groan- despite being only noon- he saw that Tango was persistent in making sure Wels left his house. There were at least ten new messages pestering him to come over. 

Mostly with bribes for good trading which Wels knew he probably wouldn’t be able to turn down if he tried. He needed some stuff that Tango was willing to trade for a lower price than the shops in the shopping district. The buzzing continued.

_ <TangoTek> Helloooooo  _

_ <TangoTek> Wels  _

_ <TangoTek> I’ll give you a bunch of iron  _

_ <TangoTek> Gunpowder?  _

_ <Keralis> I’ll take some  _

_ <TangoTek> :(  _

_ <TangoTek> I can see you reading my messages  _

_ <TangoTek> Please come over  _

_ <MumboJumbo> What on earth is going on?  _

Wels rolled his eyes.  _ Desperate _ much? He winced at the thought. No, no, Tango had a point. He’d never call him desperate just for wanting to see him again. Actually that  _ was _ odd. Wels was not the type to ignore everyone. 

Was that what Beef meant? Of course not, Wels felt fine. Great, in fact. He hadn’t felt this good in ages, just a little more irritable than usual, he supposed. Maybe he was just stressed from continually trying to avoid everyone. He really did probably need to see someone. 

And that someone would be Tango, he guessed. Might as well. His communicator kept buzzing repeatedly. With a sigh, he finally replied. 

_ <TangoTek> WWWEEEEEELLLSS _

_< Welsknight> I’m coming over_

He threw it back into his pocket and left his bed for the first time in probably at least 24 hours. Stretching his legs felt odd after being still for so long when he was used to walking around every day. Still, he threw on his armor and elytra, not immediately noticing how grey his feathered wings looked than usual. 

Wels assumed he wouldn’t be gone for long so food wasn’t necessary- not that Tango wouldn’t lend him some if it became a problem. However, he still kept his sword on his hip if there were any…. _ complications _ . Unknowingly, he snickered at the thought. With a last look in the mirror, he decided that he was fully ready to leave, completely disregarding his feathers’ new color. 

As he walked out the front door, his head turned to the general direction of Beef’s village. An intense scowl crossed his face but before he could think further, he fired off his rockets. He had no time to keep thinking about that lying little butcher. 

He winced at the thought again. He didn’t like Beef much now, but that was a bit harsh. Either way, Beef was going to start drama if this continued and Wels wasn’t a fan of being in the middle of one huge argument, especially something having to do with Helsknight of all people. The dark knight was also one of the last people he wanted to see either. He was almost too glad that Evil Xisuma kept him so far away from Wels. 

Though, he was beginning to not like Ex either, to be honest. Avoiding the other hermits for three days left more time to think and most of his thoughts consisted of recalling different memories of other evil hermits who threatened to destroy something they loved. Evil Xisuma was certainly one of them. 

The counterpart thankfully lost most of his power over the last couple of years. Ever since he decided to move back into the Overworld, he wasn’t granted as many abilities by Xisuma as he had when he lived freely off of the powers given to him by ‘The Lord of Darkness’.

But Wels was getting sidetracked. He plastered on a grin and kept his pace, soon eyeing the colorful asymmetrical buildings on the horizon. The sight always brought on a chuckle from the knight and the grin quickly softened into a more genuine expression. Despite his previous thoughts, he was beginning to grow more excited to see his demon friend. 

He opted to land on one of the rooftops and pulled out his communicator. Wels didn’t immediately type in any messages in case Tango was somewhere nearby or flying around while he waited for Wels to arrive. That assumption seemed to be correct when the bat winged figure came into view about a hundred feet away and quickly made its way over. 

When Tango landed, the knight was pulled into a spine crushing hug followed by some pats on the back. Awkwardly, Wels just lightly patted the other on the back, not really reciprocating the hug as enthusiastically as Tango probably would’ve liked. 

The demon pulled back but kept a hold on the knight’s shoulders which Wels gladly showed some disdain towards. “Jeez, where have you been, man?! Nobody’s heard from you for a couple days now!” At the uncomfortable expression from Wels briefly glancing at his hands, he pulled them away. 

“Just needed to be away from people for a while, ya know? I had some personal stuff going on.” He picked something dirt off his shoulder and flicked it away absentmindedly as if Tango dirtied his shirt sleeve. 

“Oh, anything you wanna talk about?” 

Wels shook his head. “No, no, just  _ Helsknight _ stuff.” He clapped his hands together. “Anyways! You had some trades in mind? I’m really running out of iron and I’ve got beacon pyramids to build.” 

Abandoning his previous worry, the demon lit up with a snort. “I may know a guy….” Tango eyed Wels with a grin. “Iron shop sells a stack of blocks for a diamond, I’ll give you two stacks for a diamond. Or, if you can provide me with a ton of concrete, we can work something out there.” 

The knight thought for a second, considering the offer. “Hm, that sounds like one hell of a deal. I’ll think about that while we discuss some  _ other _ deals.” Wels brushed his fingers over the hilt of his sword absentmindedly. “Heard from the grapevine that you have a creeper farm too.” 

Tango eyed the hilt curiously. His eyes followed back up to Wels. “There’s a TNT and rocket shop in the shopping district, but if you want to be fully self-sufficient, I’ll just let you use the farm whenever if there’s something you can offer of equal value.” 

“Awesome, one more thing. Obsidian, tons of it, just tons of obsidian. It’ll make sense in a couple months, but I can’t say what it’s for right now.” 

Tango raised a brow. “Tons like….a hundred stacks? Or….”

“About four hundred stacks.” 

The demon’s jaw practically fell to the floor. “F- Four hundred?” He rubbed at his neck and whistled for emphasize the amount. “That’s….a  _ lot _ . And a  _ LOT _ of hours. Even with efficiency and insta-mine, that many stacks is still  _ days _ worth of mining.” He sighed. “I’d love to help with that but I’m not exactly made of diamonds or have that much time on my hands. It’s not exactly something that can be automated like iron or gunpowder.” 

Wels rolled his eyes which Tango made a confused face to. 

“Fine, fine,” Wels began with huff. “I’ll find someone else then. Make it four stacks of iron blocks for a diamond and I’ll give you half my loot from the end for the creeper farm.” 

Tango stuttered at the utterly ridiculous proposal (though some shulker boxes would be nice, but Wels didn’t visit The End often). “Wha- four stacks of iron blocks?! For a diamond?!” 

The confusion didn’t phase Wels in the slightest. “Yes, that is what I said.” His gaze hardened on Tango, fingers tightening around the hilt of his sword. “Is there a problem with that?” 

“ _ Is there a proble _ \- Wels that’s the worst deal I’ve ever heard of! I mean I guess a few shulkers would be nice for the creeper farm but you rarely visit the end!” 

“Four stacks.” 

“Two.” 

“Three.” 

Slowly, the sword was being pulled from its sheath. Tango noticed instantly.

“Put the sword away, Wels. You’re better than that,” he gulped. His voice wavered ever so slightly which Wels merely smirked at.  _ This wasn’t like him _ ….

“Four stacks, Tango. Or we’ll have a  _ better _ form of negotiation.” 

Tango lifted his hands defensively, moving one to the hilt of his own sword. “Okay, please tell me that you’re Hels in disguise or something. You’re not actually going to try to threaten me into a deal here, right?” 

That seemed to set off something in Wels’s mind when Tango saw the familiar bright blue eyes bring on a redder hue. 

And that in itself was already more concerning. Almost too quickly, the knight lost his previously colder stare and lashed out. 

“Argh!” The knight unsheathed his sword. “Why do you guys keep saying that?! I’m fine! I feel fine! I-“ Wels swung once at Tango. “-Don’t-“ The demon drew his own sword to block the hit with wide eyes. “-Want-“ The knight swung again. “- _ Anything _ -“ Swing. “-To do-“ He lifted it above his head. “-With that-“ He threw an intense glare at Tango. “-Stupid knight!” He brought the sword down, only narrowly missing Tango’s left. 

Frantically pulling up his inventory, the demon threw on his armor. He ducked and hopped around and leaned away from each swing of the blade. Each time, he tried to persuade the knight into calming down but evidently to no avail while the other spewed curses at him. 

“Wels- Wels stop! I’m not fighting!” Tango took some rockets and flew away, Wels only just on his tail. “What’s gotten into you?!” He shouted. He felt the blade just barely nick his boot. “I’m sorry I said that-!” He turned and took his own swing at Wels, grazing his shoulder. “We can talk about this!” 

“I don’t  _ need _ to talk! I’m not-“ Wels swung again. “I’m not anything like him!” 

Only now while the knight struggled to balance himself out after the swing did Tango notice how dark his feathers were. Were they that grey before? The sun was shining right on them earlier, they seemed so light before. With a closer look, the demon could see feathers falling to the earth with each frantic flap, revealing patches of dark skin underneath.

“Okay, okay! You’re not but will you stop trying to kill me?!” Using a kick to the other’s chest, he boosted himself away from Wels. Wels on the other hand only kept struggling. Flying wasn’t his strong suit, Tango knew, and he’d use that to his advantage. 

Using another couple of rockets, he tried to get as far away from Wels as possible. Mostly, he flew in circles around him to keep an eye on what he was trying to do. Wels mostly just sent glares in his direction because he knew that he wouldn’t maneuver his way towards Tango that quickly. That in itself only angered him further.

While he flew each lap around him, he took the chance to talk at least some sense into him. 

“Wels, what’s going on? Did something happen?” He asked from afar. Wels didn’t answer, still giving him the death glare. Tango spoke again, this time touching on something a bit more personal. “What did Hels do?” 

The knight’s hands balled into harder fists around the sword. “I don’t need to tell you anything!” 

Tango sighed. He was running out of rockets. “Okay, you don’t, but whatever you’re going through doesn’t justify trying to kill your friend!” 

“ _ You _ -“ Wels growled “- are not my  _ friend !”  _

As Tango circled by too close this time, Wels swung once more, slicing a straight line across his side and into his right wing. With an audible gasp, the demon was sent flying with now broken elytra into the direction of the towers. The familiar blue concrete came into view quickly and he already knew how much the impact was going to hurt from previous experiences. God, how much he hated respawning. He was almost certain he was going to die the second he made contact with the roof. 

But that didn’t happen. Instead, he initially felt his face slam into the cold concrete roof but in a panic, he took his wings to shield himself from further impact. It was a pathetic attempt at not injuring himself more than he already was. His armor shattered and disappeared in a wisp of blue and purple, leaving room for scraping his arms and legs. 

His bad wing burned when it tore further and when he finally landed, he laid on his side and curled in on himself with heaving breaths. It hurt, everything was hurting and he hated that he wasn’t dead already. His sword flew off somewhere else but he assumed Wels would just put him out of his misery. 

Wels landed and practically stomped towards the demon, sword still in hand. Tango could only watch as blood-  _ his _ blood- dripped down the blade disturbingly. On the bright side, he wouldn’t be awake for much longer, he was out of it. He coughed meekly. 

“N-nngh….hh….” he muttered out. He couldn’t speak. It hurt to move anything in his face. He simply opted for closing his eyes. Hopefully, someone would come and see what happened. Wels needed some serious help. 

And as if his prayers were answered, he heard an all too familiar deep voiced, robotic accent. 

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all the way my fuckin jaw dropped when I read ahead and saw this going down oh my g o d


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Xisuma, Doc, Tango, Wels, and Evil X plan go to see Beef and try to figure out what the heck is going on. Also, for some reason, Xisuma’s a little more aggressive than any of them anticipated, even Doc. 
> 
> Characters: Xisuma, Doc, Tango, Wels, Evil X, and Beef mention.
> 
> TW: A bit of violence in this chapter, mostly just punches to the face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it here.

* * *

The sight in front of Ex was…. _ disturbing _ , for lack of a better word. 

“Wels, what on Earth….” he thought aloud. The knight barely spared him a glance, too busy ignoring him while he caught his breath. Ex stepped aside from Wels and went to see who the other figure was. 

The counterpart knew the knight to be one of the better behaved Hermits. He usually didn’t get too involved in a whole lot of mischief, at least not while Evil X lived there. To be honest, he didn’t visit Wels often. Only once or twice a few weeks back to ask about what Hels was like which the knight was all too happy to lay some dirt on him. 

He was getting sidetracked again, like usual. He peered over and unsurprisingly to Ex, but still a horrid sight, was Tango laying in a fetal position with a very visibly broken elytra and it looked as if someone took a bat to his face repeatedly. He gasped at what’d happened but that only made him more fearful for what was going to happen next. 

He snapped his gaze to Wels, taking a few steps away from him. He didn’t look like he planned to really kill anyone, Ex knew what that looked like from Hels. But still, he looked back and forth between the two, not wanting to be threatened. He had one life and Ex didn't plan on losing it now. 

Though, his thoughts were interrupted by Wels exhaling shakily alongside a small whimper. “Tango….“ he muttered. He shot his head towards Ex fearfully. “I- I don’t know what happened!” 

The knight only kept stammering while the counterpart fumbled to pull out his communicator. The last thing he wanted to do now was provoke the other into attacking again so with haste he contacted Xisuma. Wels only panicked further at the action. 

“Did I do this?!” While Wels gestured, his eyes landed on the blade of the sword, dripping with an ugly crimson. They widened. “Oh, that’s….bad….”. He kept staring at it with worry. “That must’ve been what Beef meant,” he muttered to himself. 

Ex sighed through his nose, the noise coming out more distorted thanks to his helmet. He glanced at Wels with concern, though the knight didn’t see more than his eyes that just looked like growling red orbs. “Well, at least you know what’s going on now.” As he pressed the send button, the knight stared helplessly. 

Wels began flipping through ways to get out of this. He could fly away and avoid confrontation. But he wasn’t a good flyer, nor a fast one, and Ex could probably catch up with him and slow him down just enough to never make it more than a hundred feet away from the building. Even then, having to discuss what’d happened was inevitable. 

Why was he thinking of ways to escape it? He was a knight, he could take it for crying out loud. Besides, this was serious. Wels had no memory of what he did to Tango, nor did he really want to remember. He turned to the suffering demon and guilt flooded his brain. That was a one way ticket to no more trust if Wells knew anything about the topic. Though, knowing Tango, the demon probably knew it wasn’t Wels. 

Maybe. 

While Wels thought, Ex moved to check on Tango. The poor demon, despite his mostly unconscious state, still looked terrified and flinched away from Ex’s touch. 

“Just me, can you hear me?” Weakly, Tango nodded with just barely a noise of confirmation. “Alright then. Well, I might as well kill you since you can respawn without all the damage.” The demon whined at the thought but again, nodded. Pulling out his own sword, Ex made sure to make it a quick process. One good deep stab later and Tango was no more than a puff of red smoke that dissipated into the air. 

Getting up from his kneeling position, he turned to Wels who was surprisingly still where he was when Ex turned away. Good, at least he won’t kill him. That’s one less thing to worry about. With the buzz of his communicator, he pulled it from his pocket. 

“Xisuma and Doc will be here in a couple minutes. They said I need to take all of your weapons and armor.” 

Wordlessly, and to Ex’s full gratitude, Wels followed the directions. He didn’t have more than his tools to deal any real damage but he gave the evil hermit his elytra as well. There wasn’t much he was gonna get away with if he somehow tried anything else. He wasn’t even sure what’d happened before he was witnessing his friend bleeding on the ground. Once second, he was hugging Tango, the next minute, he was a few feet away from him with a bloody sword in hand. 

Interrupted from his thoughts, he turned to the sound of more pairs of flapping wings. Like Evil Xisuma said, Xisuma and Doc landed at the edge of the roof, the creeper holding thick loops of rope and both in fully enchanted diamond armor. The two approached him slowly and hesitantly and that only made his stomach churn. 

They had good reason though, he knew. If one of his friends did that to him, he’d be a little bit fearful, too. 

“I’m not going to hurt anyone,” Wels bluntly stated. He ducked his head shamefully. “I don’t even know what happened.” 

“Where’s Tango?” Xisuma asked. He didn’t reach for his sword, not yet. A glare from him was pointed towards Wels but he spoke softer than the knight would’ve expected, given the current situation. 

“Evil Xisuma killed him,” he replied, not really meaning to make Evil X sound bad, but at least he was honest about it. The admin shot his head towards his counterpart who raised his hands in defense. 

“He was seconds away from dying! I didn’t want him laying in his own blood!” Ex crossed his arms and glared at the knight as well. “Don’t try to pin this on me.” 

With a huff, Xisuma turned his attention back to Doc. “Doc, tie him up, we’ll bring him to Beef and figure out what’s going on. Ex, go find Tango.” The admin was very uncharacteristically serious, but everyone in the little group knew for good reason, even Wels. Xisuma had the right to be angry at him. 

Though technically, Xisuma didn’t know what Wels did in the first place. But he must’ve had a talk with Doc during the flight over and whatever Ex said on his communicator to bring them here might’ve played a part in it, Wels suddenly became curious about it. He hoped it wasn’t anything too harsh about him. Though, knowing Evil X, it probably was. 

Doc took the rope and tied it around his arms a little too tight than what he expected. Around the wrists the ropes went and he was no longer able to move freely. Well, except for his legs but what was he going to do, jump off the building? 

He would respawn though, and without the ropes. He could grab his gear and spare elytra and fly off and hide and kill whoever tried to come back at him. 

Wels shook his head with a sad grimace, much to both Doc and Xisuma’s curiosity. Why was he thinking about escape plans? Killing the Hermits when they just wanted to be safe? The two eyed him carefully while his wrists dug around in the rope, not to much of his own knowledge. 

“Don’t be trying to escape now,” the admin grumbled. 

Wels sighed. “I can’t  _ help _ it.” He turned his head to Xisuma with a glare, the more aggressive side of himself reaching his actions once more. He squirmed harder and Doc grabbed his arms forcefully. “Don’t you think if you were tied up, you’d be trying to escape,  _ too _ ?” 

Despite his initial annoyance, Xisuma sighed as well, almost sadly, and ducked his head. “I would,” he stated quietly. Wels continued to thrash but to no avail. He stopped to catch his breath. 

“Can’t believe I gave my sword to that annoying little bastard of a brother.” He snickered at the insult, making both men worry at the sudden aggression. Though, Xisuma’s worry dissipated at the insult to his brother and Wels was met with a gloved fist to his cheek.

He stepped right up to the knight’s face, Doc now wondering if it was such a good idea to have Xisuma here. Though, he wasn’t usually this aggressive, even to the Hermits, even if they were under control that wasn’t theirs. And even if they killed their friends with no actual reason than that they were angry at them. That in itself was worrying. 

“Jeez Xisuma, calm down,” the creeper  muttered. 

The admin ignored his requests. “If you’ve got something to say you say it about  _ me _ , understand?” 

As Wels looked up again, Xisuma was met with red eyes and slitted pupils. He licked at his teeth with a grin, laughing while Xisuma stumbled backwards at the sight. 

The knight chuckled, almost sounding like a growl. “Oh, I’ll keep that in mind you dense piece of  _ shi- _ “

“We’re back!” 

The trio turned to see Ex and Tango landing at the other edge of the rooftop, the demon following the counterpart slowly behind and also in fully enchanted diamond armor. He made a personal note not to meet Wels’s eyes. The knight snorted.

“Awe, what’s wrong Tango? Don’t wanna look at little ol’ me?” His slitted pupils thinned and thickened repeatedly to emphasize his question. “For a demon you’re one of the biggest cowards I’ve ever met. And I’ve met Ex, over here.” Again, the admin threw a punch at him. 

“XISUMA!” The other three yelled. 

“Keep talking and I’ll make you shut up myself.” Wels glared at him and Xisuma did just the same. “Go on,  _ keep going _ .” 

Again, Wels laughed, licking the inside of his cheek on the other side of the new growing bruise. “What are you gonna do,  _ ban _ me? You’d never ban me, would you, Xisuma? I’m one of your best fr-“ 

“ARGH YOU-“ Xisuma pulled his arm back to prepare another punch but Ex caught his hand and held it there, moving to pull Xisuma away from Wels while the knight laughed. 

“Xisuma, stop! You’re hurting him!” Ex turned his brother to face him. “That’s not Wels, Ex.” The counterpart looked towards Doc. “Just put something in his mouth, would ya?” 

Tango approached the brothers. “X, are you sure you wanna go there too? What is with you today?!” 

Xisuma sighed in Ex’s grip defeatedly, not feeling like answering Tango’s question. Doc waited for his instructions, Ex waited for him to be well enough to let go of, Tango was too visibly worried, and Wels just made his mind spiral. The spiraling apparently was a little too literal whough when the admin fell forwards a bit against his counterpart in a daze.

Well  _ that _ wasn’t what he intended to do to figure this out. 

Doc grimaced but took charge anyways to save Xisuma the trouble. Pulling Wels into one arm, he pulled some will from his inventory, just happening to be there from earlier projects and stuffed it into the knight’s mouth. He put Wels on the ground, keeping him there with his knee while the other squirmed. Grabbing another piece of wool, he tied around Wels’s face to hold it in there. Swiftly, he pulled him from the floor and the knight quickly fell silent when only garbled words came out from behind the cloth. He growled at all of them. 

The creeper decided he would bring Wels to Beef and Tango and Ex would make sure Xisuma was okay, seeing as he hadn’t left his odd daze. With the OK from the other two, Doc lifted off with the knight over his shoulder. 

Tango and Ex, on the other hand, were not so confident. 

“Suma, you alright, man?” asked Tango. 

“Need to sit…” the admin mumbled. In seconds, the three were sitting on the roof. “Jus’ overwhelmed is all,” he added. 

Tango patted him on the back lightly. “Alright, just making sure.” 

They let a few seconds pass, giving the admin some space to think and breathe. “I hit him.” Xisuma said suddenly, balling his hands into fists in frustration. “I  _ hit _ him, guys. I hit him because he wasn’t himself.” 

Tango scoffed, recalling his chase earlier with Wels. “He honestly deserved that.” 

Xisuma sat up quickly. “He did not! He had no control over that!” 

The demon rolled his eyes. “How do you know that?! He’s been fishy all day! Nobody heard from him for days and I pestered him to come over with trades! He came over because I said I had iron!” 

Xisuma was about to say more but he realized that he wasn’t aware of what was happening in the first place before now and he really couldn’t assume he knew what was going on. He sighed. “I didn’t-“ 

The demon gestured wildly as he spoke, interrupting him. “And when he came he set up the worst trades and threatened to kill me when I said they were bad trades! And then  _ proceeded _ to try to kill me!” 

“Tango!” The demon stopped. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry for assuming I’m just- argh!” It seemed as if the admin was going to pull out his hair but he was met with the thick metal of the helmet. He pulled on that instead much to their concern. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know, but that  _ wasn’t _ him. And I just….don’t want to lose him, guys. I want him to get help. I don’t know what’s been happening or what will happen but I  _ can’t _ afford to lose more Hermits.” 

Xisuma must’ve started talking to himself at the last sentence, more or less to reassure himself. Tango glanced at Ex who shared the same concerned expression. To keep him from being further overwhelmed, they nodded at each other to wordlessly agree to not ask about it. Though, he seemed obvious by briefly widened eyes behind his visor that he realized what he had said. But with their wordless reactions, he decided not to continue. 

Tango pulled Xisuma’s hands away from his helmet gently and held them in his lap. “It’ll be alright. He’ll get better.” Really, the demon should’ve apologized himself but elf it be. He squeezed the admin’s hands to reassure him further and Xisuma squeezed back as well. To his right, Ex gave him a half hug, to which Xisuma smiled softly at. 

He then remembered that Doc needed their assistance. 

“Okay,” he exhaled. “Let’s go help them then.” 

* * *


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Hels and Wels get a bit of an examination, there’s a sappy apology, and Evil X accidentally confesses his love for Hels. 
> 
> Characters: Helsknight, Welsknight, Evil Xisuma, Xisuma, Beef, Doc, and Tango 
> 
> TW: None I think

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it here.

* * *

Beef certainly wasn’t expecting Wels to look so... _different_ already. When Doc landed and practically threw the knight into one of the back corners of the room, Wels glared at him through the wool with blood red snake eyes. Doc removed the cloth around his mouth. Wels grinned evilly at Beef, showing off a pair of fangs and licked them slowly.

“Hey, Beef, you gonna make me a little angel again?” He batted his eyelashes at the butcher. “Wouldn’t want _me_ getting loose, huh?” He wriggled in his place on the floor while Doc tied his ankles together.

“He’s changing at a much faster pace than Hels is. That was so….sudden,” Beef observed.

“Yeah, where’s Hels, anyways?” Doc asked, noticing how the dark knight wasn’t on the table. Beef snickered, briefly distracted by the question from Wels’s current state.

“Went outside to _play with the piglets_. I made a pen out back a few days ago and the dude is obsessed with them apparently.”

“Ooo, sounds like someone plans on making bacon later,” Wels stated from the corner. The creeper gifted his teeth.

“Keep talking and your dinner will be more wool. Don’t think I won’t clock you too. Xisuma’s strong but he’s not mutant,” Doc replied without turning to look over his shoulder at Wels. Beef stared at Doc with wide eyes.

“Xisuma punched him?!”

The creeper shrugged. “Wels seems to know how to push his buttons. Got him right in the jaw twice and Evil Xisuma had to keep him to doing it again,” he chuckled.

“I- Okay then. Where’s Xisuma? I thought he was coming with Tango and Evil Xisuma.”

Doc rubbed his neck. “Xisuma must’ve gotten overwhelmed or something, I don’t know. He looked like he was gonna pass out so I just brought Wels here and had the other two take care of that.” Their communicators buzzed, catching their attention. Beef hummed.

“Speaking of the devil, here he comes.”

As if on cue, Xisuma, Tango and Ex landed in front of the doorway. As they walked in, Tango and Xisuma marveled at the cloning machine. Or well, whatever it was. They didn’t imagine Beef wanted more clones running around possibly causing more problems like this. Nonetheless, the machine in the center of the room was one crazy looking contraption.

“Hey guys!” Greeted Beef. “Hels is out back and Wels is in the corner over-“ Beef turned, now noticing how long the silence was lasting. As Beef looked, he didn’t find the knight in the corner. “Oh no.”

The others peered around the machine where Doc and Beef were searching. Only was it when Beef walked out the suspiciously ajar back door, did he find Wels completely free of his ropes in the small pig pen with Hels.

“Wels, how did you-“ Beef was interrupted by the loud squeak erupting from one of the piglets. Wels had one of them held in his arms with a grin.

“I didn’t know you had a pig pen over here! Look how cute the baby pigs are,” the knight cooed. Somehow he was even fine with Hels sitting next to him as well. Both held and petted the babies happily.

Now Beef was confused. Very confused. He stepped back inside, not even knowing how to behind to describe what had happened. He wasn’t even sure _how_ Wels managed to get out of the ropes, let alone explain how his personality completely reversed from his previously sadistic self. Perhaps he only switched back and forth rather than being completely evil in the span of three days.

“He- He’s playing with the pigs. He’s in the pen with Hels and they’re playing with pigs.” The butcher rubbed the bridge of his nose. “His entire personality just did a full 180, too.”

The other three made their own confused expressions. Evil Xisuma, surprisingly to the other two, spoke up.

“That’s not surprising. When I found him he was freaking out about nearly killing Tango. Didn’t seem very evil to me.”

“So it’s not constant then….” Doc added. “That’s odd. Hels is going through such a slow, but much more constant change from what I’ve noticed.”

“Yeah he’s been at it with the pigs for over an hour now,” interjected Beef. “No signs of changing anytime soon.”

“Exactly, but Wels is full on Jekyll and Hyde. And the switch is much more apparent and more aggressive. Hels doesn’t do more than crack a few jokes and play with the animals,” Doc continued. “I wonder why that is….” he thought aloud.

Ex also added an important point. “He said he didn’t know what had happened. Like he didn’t remember anything.”

At those observations, Tango suddenly felt guilty for what he said prior. Though not as guilty as Xisuma still was. The poor guy was still hesitant about speaking up about the situation. He simply watched as the others discussed. That was until Beef brought it up.

“Right right. Well, we need to get going with this stuff. I was gonna have Suma try to slap in some commands but….” he turned his head to the admin. “I think that’ll wait. Punching Wels over and over is probably just gonna make it worse after he’s already provoked.” He eyed Xisuma pointedly.

Xisuma shuffled sheepishly, feeling the other pairs of eyes on him. “Alright,” he agreed. “But if he’s threatening anyone, I’m interfering.”

Ex chuckled. “No you’re not.” X glared at him, but rolled his eyes. If he was going to try anything, Ex would just hold him back again. Not what he preferred by any means, but nobody was getting hurt at least. He’d rather not keep punching his friends in the face.

Beef clapped his hands together. “Alright! Let’s get on with this, shall we?” The rest nodded in unison. “Great! Evil X, go retrieve the boys and the rest of us will start on some kind of analysis.” With a nod from the evil counterpart, the others split up for their tasks and Xisuma stepped outside.

As Ex walked out back, he couldn’t help but to awe at the knights happily playing with the piglets. Hels especially, even if it was only because of whatever was happening to the two. It was too overbearingly cute to see the usually hateful and malicious knight pull the baby pig up to his face, only to laugh when it licked his nose.

Sadly, Ex had to stop their activities. “Alright, that’s adorable, but we’ve gotta do some tests on ya’.” He pulled the piglets from the two and made a gesture for them to stand while he closed the pen. They followed his directions with little to no hesitation, which he personally found odd considering Wels’s previous mood, but again, he had another one of his mental switches.

Not to mention the fact that Wels was perfectly fine with being around Hels, let alone barely three feet apart behind the fence gate. The knight even would grab some of the pigs and show his counterpart, usually pointing out how some had little brown spots or that some of them weren’t actually pink with awe. It really was interesting. That only made him wonder if Wels had been doing this a couple weeks ago and the Hermits just happened to meet up with him while he was in his happier state of mind, and also somehow avoiding provoking him into lashing out again.

As they made their way back inside, Beef had the two sit on two tables sat far across the room from each other, Wels’s little table surrounded by iron bars and an iron door for the access to get inside. Visibly, everyone saw the knight grimace at his setup and pulled their hands to the hilts of their swords in case a Wels was to throw another tantrum.

But he didn’t. With a worried expression and a shake of his head as if to block off the ever growing hateful thoughts, he walked inside the cage and sat down. Hels on the other hand didn’t have precaution of any type, really. Just a stone table held up on fence posts which he gladly sat on much to Ex’s personal dismay. Oddly, he _missed_ how rude Hels used to be. He was more confident, stronger, and for some reason, Ex weirdly admired his hateful personality. He loved it better when the knight would throw offhand insults jokingly and ask questions about how the over world worked. Even if he wanted to destroy the Hermitcraft server, but Ex knew he could prevent that himself.

Now, the used-to-be dark knight was now swinging his legs back and forth while he sat on the table like a child. Ex couldn’t help but to stifle a laugh at that.

“Alright, Doc, you take Hels, I’ll take Wels. Just poke around, ask some questions if you need to, write down the current changes. I can probably give a good estimate on how long they have before they’ve completely swapped,” Beef explained. “I’m not exactly an expert on this whole thing but I did make the machine after all.”

With a nod from the creeper, the butcher pulled a lever on the side of the room, making glass panes lifted from the floor to separate both parties from each other. Ex stayed on Hels’s side with Doc while Tango stood with Beef and Wels.

For a few minutes, the room was fairly silent minus the occasional “Open your mouth” or “Can you show me your hands”. Tango and Ex watched as the men observed the knights, carefully trying to not provoke either of them into a sudden change in personality. Though Hels still interestingly kept a quite calm and happy demeanor and followed his directions with no hesitation.

Wels on the other hand? Beef felt like he was walking on eggshells. He was closed into the little cage with Wels with enchanted diamond armor- though no sword- and worrying he’d set him off with a jab to the wrong part of his body or the wrong request. However, Wels followed his directions as well, but much sadder than his counterpart. He decided to speak up.

“I’m sorry.”

Beef looked up while the others in the room also turned. “What was that?”

“I said I’m sorry.”

“Wels, you weren't in control of that,” the butcher replied with a sigh. “You have nothing to say sorry for.”

Wels begged to differ. “I do, Beef. And I don’t know what’s happening and it’s…. _terrifying_ not being able to control the outbursts, but just know that….I’m sorry, Tango. For hurting you.” Wels peeked around the butcher and peered outside, speaking to Xisuma. “And I’m sorry for whatever I did to you. I don’t know what I did but I heard from outside that I’ve done something to you and I’m very sorry.”

Everyone became silent at his apology. Really, if anything, it made some of them feel worse like the admin outside the building. But still, they accepted his apology happily.

“That was the sappiest apology I’ve ever heard.” Everyone turned their attention to Hels who stared down the other knight with a smirk. “Seriously, you didn’t have to go on about it. I’m sure they already know.”

With a burst of excitement, Ex pulled Hels into yet another spine crushing hug which he reciprocated by patting the other on the back awkwardly. Ex didn’t mind, however, and pulled away with a smile.

“You’re still in there!”

Hels eyed him curiously. “Uh, yes? Is something wrong with you or what?” He peeked around Ex. “Is something wrong with him?”

Ex simply laughed. “No, no, I just….missed how _rude_ you were? That actually sounds odd when you say it out loud.” Nonetheless, the others got the gist. They smiled as well.

“Also what was he apologizing for anyways? Tango doesn’t look injured in the slightest,” asked Hels. He eyed the demon. “But I can change that.” Tango shifted uncomfortably.

Beef rolled his eyes. “There’s the Hels I expected. Be nice, bud. He’s been through a lot today already.” As if to try to seem like some kind of authority, the butcher put his hands on his hips which only earned a laugh from the others. Though, his statement still stood.

“Pfft, alright ‘ _dad’_ , whatever you say,” the knight replied sarcastically. That only brought a flush across Beef’s face and wide eyes.

“I uh- okay then,” he stammered. “Well still, just….be as nice as you’re able to.”

With that, the men continued on their examinations, now with more uplifted spirit. Beef could easily point out how oddly pointed Wels’s ears were, how much sharper his canines were becoming, and how dark of a blue his irises were- much to Doc’s frustration. The creeper couldn’t seem to point out any significant changes to the other knight. Nothing more than shorter, but still pointed ears and less of the red scales dotted over his cheeks. He hadn’t seen Hels in person enough to see anything too obvious.

Ex decided to butt in Doc’s examination. Easily, the counterpart could point out that Hels’s eyes were no longer slitted pupils, how much shorter his nails were as opposed to his previous claws. He confirmed the lack of the scales and the ears easily, and how Hels’s own fangs weren’t as long, nor as sharp, as they used to be.

“His hair is lighter, I think,” Ex added, finally. All of his observations brought Doc’s jaw to the floor. Hels mirrored his expression as well.

“You….really pay attention _that much_?” Hels asked slowly.

“Just need something to do when I’m with you. You’re very different from Wels. You’re taller, for some reason. Your tail is about five feet long, your pupils grow when you’re looking at something you’re interested in, and you always sneeze two times around the oxy daisies,” Ex listed.

Even Tango was gobsmacked by the amount of details. “You just happen to _notice_ those things?! Yeesh, if I didn’t know better I’d say you liked him.”

“Well, yeah, I like Hels a lot! He’s my friend, I think?” Ex turned to Hels. “Hey, are we friends?”

Hels just shrugged. “With that much random information, might as well be. Don’t get your hopes up, I’ll just complain the whole time.” Ex grinned in response.

Yet, Tango shook his head with a laugh. “Not what I meant, but I guess that works, too.”

Ex had to think for a moment about what the demon meant before his eyes widened. “Oh! You mean romantically, don’t you?” The counterpart laughed nervously, a flush creeping across his cheeks but it wasn’t too noticeable to the others. “Well, I mean Xisuma had to explain that to me. I suppose that’s a yes to that.”

From outside, they all heard a bark of laughter, quite obviously belonging to their admin.

* * *


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Xisuma and Evil X have an argument and that leads to Ex attempting to cut himself off from everyone.
> 
> Characters: Xisuma, Evil X, Tango (Hels, Keralis, Wels, Beef, etc mentions obvs)
> 
> TW: Bad self image, implications to crying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply assisting with posting it here.
> 
> Forgot to add this at first HDKGJAJGJ

* * *

He didn’t mean to laugh, he really didn’t. If you asked, he’d swear up and down that it was completely unintentional. Yet, Ex’s lack of understanding on how most social cues go was too hilarious. Xisuma hadn’t ever imagined that his counterpart would confess so shamelessly. Though, what was he going to expect? Given the recent events, saying it now would be the better choice….given some options he’s listed in his head to end what was happening.

And yet, to say it especially in front of four other people, and Xisuma himself outside listening in on the conversation, was simply the best. Though, Xisuma hoped he hadn’t offended his counterpart by laughing so suddenly. With that thought brought Ex outside to see what the commotion was about. From outside, Xisuma heard the others resume an assumingly embarrassing conversation.

What Xisuma didn’t expect was angry red eyes pointed right at him as his counterpart stood in front of him.

“You didn’t tell me that I shouldn’t just go around saying it!”

Xisuma shushed the other and pulled him a couple buildings away. “I know, I know. And I’m sorry for laughing, it wasn’t my place. But honestly, Evil X, what did you expect from saying something like that?”

Ex only crossed his arms with a huff. “For them to not question it so much, first of all.” He avoided Xisuma’s eyes and sighed. “Hels….didn’t look too happy to hear it….”

Xisuma put a hand on the other’s shoulder. “Ex, this is what I meant by how it can probably be one sided. Though, I dunno if that would be safe to assume _just_ yet.” He pulled the hand away and mirrored Ex’s crossed arms. “Not to mention, you’ve completely humiliated him.”

His counterpart suddenly seemed fearful about what he had said. “I did?”

“Yes, you did. Given the already occurring events, you’ve honestly probably made his day worse.” Xisuma was firm, not hardly trying to sugarcoat his statements. Unfortunately, this was the best way for his counterpart to understand the consequences of his actions, even if Xisuma hadn’t technically told him about the boundaries when it came to romance.

“I didn’t mean to! Tango asked….technically. Why not blame it on him?!”

Xisuma merely rolled his eyes. “I honestly can’t answer that besides saying that it wasn’t on him.”

“Well, you have all the answers apparently!”

The admin suddenly became much less into the idea of having Ex understand, more or less into simply disregarding him as a whole. “Well, Evil X, I don’t. And it’s time you understand that you can’t always get the answers you want or need and you need to figure out things on your own.”

Xisuma didn’t try to sound as harsh as he did, especially as he ended his reply with a pointed glare. Nonetheless, he got his point across.

Ex fiddled with his gloves. “Oh….well you’re not very nice,” was all he concluded. Almost like a toddler deciding how their parents were apparently rude for not letting them be in danger. “Can’t _you_ make sure nothing bad happened? I don’t _want_ to talk to him.”

Xisuma’s glare hardened. “It’s not my job! This is entirely on you and you’re facing the consequences. I’m not your parent!”

“You’re the one who told me about all the romance stuff, you didn’t say anything about this!” Ex pointed an accusing finger at his brother. “This is your fault!”

That only frustrated Xisuma further and with that, he decided he had enough of Ex’s tomfoolery. “You know what, Evil X? I’m no longer responsible for your mess. If you get into trouble or get hurt, don’t come to me.”

Ex grew exasperated. “Wait, I have to handle this?! I need help!”

“Well you aren’t getting any. Not from me, at least.” The admin replied coldly. With no other word, Xisuma took some rockets and flew off in some random direction, leaving Ex on the ground behind. He had no intentions to continue talking to his counterpart.

For some reason, the discussion only left Evil X more upset…and quite surprised. He wasn’t mad at Xisuma, interestingly. Just mad at himself. He didn’t think those couple of sentences would get his brother to leave out of anger so quickly though. Xisuma was such a chill and polite person and would at least stay for further discussion, even moving to try to dissolve the tension. But instead, Ex was met with a sudden abandonment.

Ex really must’ve said something wrong to make the other so frustrated. He racked his brain for what he said, already beginning to forget what on earth either of them had discussed in detail. It was a heated argument, to be fair, he must’ve just said some things he didn’t really mean and that honestly made him feel much worse. All he could conclude from it, however, was that he just lost a friend.

Great, Xisuma, of all people, hates him. He just made someone who rarely throws a fit completely fly off to avoid him.

_Because I’m an idiot_ , he thought. _And I’m stupid for thinking I’d ever have a chance at keeping a friend._

He sighed sadly, ducking his head. Now Hels probably hated him, too, if anything. And now Xisuma hated him. Now Wels probably hated him, too, considering how much Ex loved his evil counterpart. And now that he made Xisuma angry, Xisuma would go and tell all the other Hermits what he did and then they’d hate him too. Then he’d be banned again and go back to square one.

“Because I’m just _Evil Xisuma_ ,” he concluded aloud, saying his name in a mocking tone, spiraling into his own thoughts.

Maybe he should just leave. It was for the better, mostly for the sake of not being humiliated as well. But he didn’t want either knight coming after him or Xisuma threatening to ban him again for his mistakes. He was better off just finding his way back to The End and residing there thousands upon thousands of blocks away from everyone else….and his problems.

He tightened his arms around himself. Or maybe The Void would simply be a better option.

“You okay there?” asked a voice, pulling him from his thoughts. He turned and there stood Tango, one of the last Hermits he honestly expected.

“Oh um….not really, to be honest,” Ex replied sadly.

Tango tilted his head with worry. “Is it because of what I said earlier? I didn’t mean for all of that to happen.” He shuffled in his spot absentmindedly.

Initially, Ex just wanted to snap at him and say _yes, in fact, it was your fault because if you just kept your damn mouth shut, we wouldn’t be here now would we?_ But he didn’t. His hands merely tightened around his arms in a silent reply.

“Okay, you don’t have to answer, I understand. but uh….where’s Xisuma?” Tango looked around for the admin, seeing that he hadn’t come back to the little room they were in.

Behind the red visor, Ex was lucky that Tango wouldn’t see tears pricking at his eyes at the very thought of his earlier interaction with his brother. The thought of being thrown into the thick, suffocating, syrup-like blackness that was being banned.

“I….made him angry,” he quietly answered, voice wavering almost too noticeably. The demon suddenly seemed upset himself, though a wave of annoyance or irritation of some kind crossed his features briefly. He crossed his arms.

“What did you say to him, Ex?” He asked, now not seeming so sympathetic as he was before. More or less, he just looked mad too.

And that only made Ex stammer. Oh no, now Tango was going to hate him too. This was just peachy. Here was Evil Xisuma, feeling like a deer in the headlights, shaking in his boots, wanting to be anywhere that wasn’t here. This only pushed the tears further and his face began to heat up. So, with that, he left.

Best to avoid his problems.

“I um- I’m going to….go to my base….” he muttered.

Despite the demon’s further questioning and requests for him to stay, Ex pulled out his own rockets and made a beeline for what he now didn’t really want to call his home. Not now with his closer proximity to Xisuma’s base and his farms. And certainly not next to Keralis, who was more than likely just told about Xisuma’s little argument with Ex and how evil Ex was, how that the counterpart just humiliated one of his best friends and practically got cut off by his own brother.

_“I’m going to just ban him, better off that way,”_ he could already imagine Xisuma saying.

The sight of the randomly placed blocks didn’t ease him in the slightest. In fact, all of the various shades of red, courtesy of his visor, was too much to look at, even through the new blurry wetness in his eyes. He kept walking further and further, across the long strip of concrete, turning to quartz stairs leading into darkness, and through the maze of hallways.

On and on he paced until he was met with the familiar sight of The End portal. The silverfish still hanging around didn’t faze him, not hardly. All he cared about was making his way up the steps and past the spawner. He stopped at the edge, taking one last look behind him as if he hoped someone would magically come to stop him, but unsurprisingly, there was no one. Just the cold stone and iron bars staring right back at him.

Rightfully so.

And with that, he lept into the portal, already becoming familiar with the soft yellow stone beneath his feet and the buzzing of various enderman.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POOR EXY TANGO WHY WOULD YOU SOUND MAD AT HIM AND XISUMA DON'T YELL AT HIM POOR BABY


	21. Chapter 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Wels begins to fight back against a new voice in his head but to no avail.
> 
> Characters: Wels, Beef, Tango, Evil X, Xisuma, Doc
> 
> TW: Blood mentions, crying, violence, good ol mind control

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply assisting with posting it.

* * *

For some reason, Ex was outside with Xisuma longer than all of them had initially thought he’d be. After that whole ordeal, a thick silence hung in the air, broken occasionally by the shuffling of either knight and whispered directions by the two men. Tango on the other hand leaned against the wall, his face in one of his palms.

Okay, he probably just fucked up, no biggie. He probably just single handedly destroyed Evil Xisuma’s love life. And probably just destroyed all possible chances of him and Hels becoming better friends on that other hand. Right, right, that was no big deal. It wasn’t like Evil X had worked so hard to finally have a decent relationship with Hels.

If only he just kept his mouth shut and quit joking around in such a seriously fragile moment.

Naturally, he felt incredibly guilty- as he already had felt for trying to say Wels deserved punishment for actions he had no control over. Even despite Wels’s apology, the demon sulked in the corner and slid down the wall pathetically.

“I fucked up, didn’t I,” he said aloud, not bothering to look at the others. From the other side of the room, he could hear a gruff sigh, not really knowing whether it was Doc or Hels, but more than likely it was the latter. Yet, Beef decided to speak up.

“Well, can’t say that you didn’t. But no use in fretting over it now, I guess. What’s done is done and that’s for Hels and Evil X to discuss, not us.”

Tango sighed through his nose. He had a point, but what was the use of it when all he could think about was how Xisuma was probably scolding him for such an act. Not unless the other simply found it too funny to really coddle him for, but it was too obvious now how embarrassed the dark knight was and how he avoided everyone’s gaze with a deep flush on his face.

“I’m gonna go check on them, see if everything’s alright,” he decided aloud. The others made their own noises of confirmation. He stood and walked outside, not initially finding the admin, nor his counterpart, around the building.

Strange, he thought they’d be out here.

Tango decided to look around further. He didn’t really see more than the occasional villager or sand dusted rabbit, but he could hear a conversation of some kind somewhere. Just as he looked to his left, he saw Xisuma taking off into the skies, about thirty blocks away, he estimated. Using that as his reference point, he followed the trail of gunpowder behind the lift off.

Though, he wasn’t exactly expecting such a distraught Evil Xisuma left behind on the ground. At least that’s what he thought. The figure seemed to be curling in on himself. Tango didn’t just want to stand there, but he didn’t want to have Ex lashing out at him. But some kind of apology was necessary.

“You okay there?” He decided to ask, thankfully not against his better judgment. That seemed to get the other’s attention. He turned to face Tango quickly.

“Oh um….not really, to be honest.” Ex hugged himself tighter which only made Tango worry. He didn’t make Ex feel that bad did he? Not unless Xisuma had said something to him to make him so upset. That seemed quite unlikely though, given how patient X was with his brother.

“Is it because of what I said earlier? I didn’t mean for all of that to happen,” he pressed further. The other didn’t reply, only trembling slightly. The demon made a comment on how he didn’t need to answer, instead asking where Xisuma was.

That only seemed to bring more fear or sadness to the counterpart in front of him. “I…made him angry,” Ex finally replied, looking more defeated than ever.

And yet, Tango couldn’t bring himself to really _care_. His thoughts were suddenly flooded with curiosity as to how on earth someone, even Evil X, would make the admin angry. Even if it could be an exaggeration, Xisuma wouldn’t ever just fly off like that without at least typing into his communicator.

His worry was then replaced with some kind of anger. If someone made Xisuma angry, they would have to say or do something so utterly personal and hurtful to him. Much like what he guessed Wels did to earn nearly three punches to the face.

He crossed his arms. “What did you say to him, Ex?”

The demon noticed how much more nervous that only made the other. Before he could get an answer, Ex muttered something about his base and flew off into the sky. That only made Tango want to know more of what happened, but he kept himself on the ground. This wasn’t worth the loss of rockets to fuss over.

But something new burned in his stomach at the thought of Ex coming across Xisuma again. He shoved it down. He’d deal with that later. On his hip, his communicator buzzed.

_< Docm77> Tango we have a problem_

_< Docm77> You need to come back here_

_< Xisuma> Is he hurting someone?_

_< Docm77> Switched again, just come back_

Well that didn’t sound good, and Tango grimaced at the thought of going back in there, especially when Wels was practically ready to murder him at first chance. His communicator buzzed further from other curious Hermits. Some offering to assist in the situation, others merely wanting to know what was going on.

Unexpectedly, but probably no surprise to him, he froze. His feet suddenly felt glued to the ground. The demon tried lifting off but he fumbled for his rockets.

“Come on legs, not now-“ he made a step or two but his body was telling him to not go back. Do you want to die again, it emphasized. He breathed in, trying, and probably failing, at convincing himself that it wasn’t Wels. Wels didn’t have control over what he was doing.

Though those thoughts weren’t enough to pull his feet from the ground, the sight of his admin flying by quickly seemed to unstick them. Right, Xisuma was going to be there too. And Xisuma wouldn’t hesitate to attack the knight even if he didn’t have control over what he’d been doing. You hurt a Hermit, you suffer by the admin’s hand, he guessed.

Then, Tango was running. He didn’t know why his legs were suddenly so eager to run in there, but he wasn’t complaining. He needed to help his friends. But as he drew closer, pulling out his sword, he could hear curses and clanking metal. Thankfully, not armor. As he peered inside, Wels was hitting the door, the iron colliding with the bars at uneven hinges.

Right then, the knight stopped at the sight of Tango with a sickening grin.

“Awe, look at Tango the big red demon who’s gonna get his revenge,” Wels mocked. “What’re you gonna do, kill me?”

“If you get out, that’s definitely the plan,” he replied coldly, but there was no denying the uneasiness in his voice.

“Hm, I’ll let you kill me for that obsidian.” Wels sat back down on the table.

Bartering? Now? Tango shook his head. “What do you even need all of that obsidian for, anyways?”

Much to everyone’s surprise, Hels spoke up, though not lifting his head.

“You need a portal, don’t you.”

The other knight smirked. “Wow, he talks. But yes, I do.”

Hels only made a confused expression to top off everyone else’s. They all were curious as to what kind of portal he meant and how Hels even knew what the other knight what talking about without any other context clues. With a second of thought, Xisuma snapped his fingers and eyed Wels.

“That tree. The obsidian tree. But you need bedrock as well to reactivate it, though.” He thought again, wracking his brain for what’d happened the last time he went through it even after it was opened. “Though, that one just trapped me in a random game.”

Wels rolled his eyes, ignoring everyone’s much more confused stares at the admin. “Where you go depends on what the frame is made of. There’s a dimension that needs a new champion.” He looked towards Hels, who shot a glare right back at him. “After all, the last one was-“ He shook his head briefly with a grimace, shutting his eyes tightly. “The- the last one was-“

They eyed Wels curiously, still with their hands on the hilts of their swords just in case. What they hadn’t expected was fearful bright blue eyes to stare right back at them again. The knight clutched the table’s edge until his knuckles turned white and made a pained noise.

They all looked at each other, not hardly knowing what was going on. Hels seemed to be fine, but his expression told them that something was wrong. He looked more worried by the second, all of them assuming he was going through his own internal episode.

“I- I’m trying-“ Wels muttered. Slowly, his breathing became more erratic. He blinked and red eyes appeared again, his eyebrows furrowing in a concentrated anger. “ _Shut it._ ”

“Wels,” said Tango in disbelief. “Wels, it’s alright, you’re stronger than him!”

Beef himself was panicking, not wanting to see his friend like this. Without thinking, he was opening the iron door frantically. Still, he shut it behind himself. The thought was crossing everyone’s mind- _why the hell was he doing that_. But when he did, he approached the trembling knight carefully. Softly, he cupped Wels’s cheeks and lifted his head to make eye contact.

Very fearfully, might he add. He was still terrified.

“Wels, listen to me, you need to fight it, alright?”

Sadly, Wels nodded but groaned. “Ngh- Hurts-“ he whimpered through gritted teeth. Slowly, his irises gained an aqua hue, letting Beef know that he was really and truly trying not to succumb to it.

Inside his head, many different thoughts were running through it. He was trying to differentiate between what was him and what was him. With it, was a deep echoing voice bouncing around, saying he should give up. Give in to what he was supposed to be. Repeatedly, it jabbed at his skull, creating a splitting headache.

Tears unsurprisingly came to his eyes. He wanted to close them but Beef had other plans.

“No, no, I want you to keep your eyes open, I can help you,” he said, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. The others in the room cheered on the knigh. “Just keep them open, _please_ ,” he begged.

The voice was loud and nearly blocked out most of what the butcher said. Beef noticed how much the colors of his irises seemed to change. Blue, blue, a flash of red, and blue again. Yet, his own seemed to distract the knight into less shallow breaths. Wels stared into the pits of deep, midnight blue, making sure that those eyes were his goal. He wanted to keep seeing the butcher’s eyes. That’s how he knew how far he was from blocking out the various thoughts and echoes.

Hesitantly, the knight grabbed at Beef’s wrists tightly. Not hard enough to cause any harm to him, but enough to try to ground himself.

_Claw at him. Kick. Bite. Hurt him, the voice said. Rip him to shreds_. Briefly, his eyes lit up red again, for a concerningly longer period of time.

“No, no, no, Wels! Wels, fight it off! You’re a _knight_ for crying out loud!”

_You’re a knight of destruction. Bathe in the blood of your enemies. This is an enemy. Look at how he’s nearly closing his hands around your neck._

“I’m- hnn….Beef, it’s….so loud….” The voice kept ramming around in his skull. Red eyes. Very very worryingly red eyes hitting their brightest glow.

“Wels, no!”

“Fighting….Sorry….” Wels muttered, his tearful stare turning into a blank gaze, hands tightening around the butcher’s wrists. This time, enough to earn a pained sound from Beef.

_Yes, Fight. Fight. FIGHT. THERE’S AN IRON DOOR BEHIND HIM._

Before Wels could even attempt to shove that last thought down, he blacked out. At least he thought. Everything was gone, except for various voices he knew belonged to his friends. It felt like only a second before scenery flickered around before him. Being in the cage, no longer on the table, various swords drawn and….an arrow of some kind in his side.

He stumbled forward, tripping on something in front of him, but catching himself on the door by his elbows. He ducked his head with heaving breaths. The world was all fuzzy around him, dark blotches in his vision forming. As he looked down, he saw a man on the floor slumped against the door, a noticeable vertical trail of red liquid oozing down the door following his head.

_Who was that_ , he thought. _No, no, Beef. That’s Beef._

The thought didn’t last long though as blood soaked into his shirt. Rather than blacking out from a lack of control, he found himself falling against Beef on the ground. Curses and encouragement to fight the voice rang out around the room but he simply just let his eyes close.

_You’re pathetic._

* * *


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Evil X ain’t having a good time in The End.
> 
> Characters: Evil Xisuma
> 
> TW: Lots of crying and feelings of worthlessness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it here.

* * *

He could be overreacting. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe Xisuma wasn’t as mad as he thought and maybe the Hermits didn’t hate him. But who was Ex to decide who did and didn’t like him, that was one of the first things Xisuma ever taught him. Xisuma had all the answers, all the solutions, and could fix the world’s problems.

Though, that idea quickly dissolved. Xisuma didn’t have everything. He was probably just as confused and upset as Ex was with what was happening. That brought back the memory of Xisuma saying how he couldn’t afford to lose another Hermit. Ex knew the server grew and changed over the years but it never crossed his mind that some Hermits might’ve been lost to being swallowed by other dimensions or permadeath.

And, quite obviously, some of Evil X’s endeavors might’ve assisted in that. That thought made his stomach churn. It was all too real to remember that he….actually killed some of Xisuma’s friends. Be it that they could respawn or not. Well, he still had urges but it wasn’t any fun to be evil when all everyone ever did was hate you, even those who were also evil.

He dragged a hand down his face, helmet previously discarded on the ship deck behind him. At this point if anyone were to come, he couldn’t care less if they saw his appearance. There wasn’t much worth in hiding his features all the time, he didn’t really know why he did it. He mostly just relied on the helmet to decrease the amount of stimulation around him.

Thus why he liked The End. It was dark but not twilight. Quiet but not silent. He was made here, really, in the depths of the cold and desolate void. Though, he had moved later on to Hels after being summoned there by the Lord of Darkness. At the time, he gladly came and wanted to wreak havoc wherever he laid his eyes on. He used to be the champion.

Now he uh….wasn’t more than an embarrassment in the community. Where he went, people pointed and laughed. _“Wow is that ‘evil’ Xisuma?!”_ They would say to mock him. _“I’ve heard the guy takes flower school!”_

Even the other Evil Hermits didn’t like him. They said he was weak and wanted nothing to do with him. Then, it really hadn’t bothered him much. But looking back on it now, he cringed. Nobody there really did like him, did they.

And now the Hermits probably wouldn’t either. Not even Hels, who he was so close to being one of his best friends. Maybe even lovers if he got far enough. He blushed while he thought about it, feeling his heart race just a bit faster.

Now, he was alone twenty thousand blocks away in The End where he was sure nobody would probably find him. There were hundreds of End Cities that hadn't been looted around him and while it was inevitable someone would come out here, he doubted grimly that he’d still be alive when that happened. Ex shuddered, what kind of thoughts were these now?

Still, he slouched sadly, sat on the ship’s bowsprit, while his legs dangled. There was no land under this particular ship. Just the endless void under him that if he shifted, he’d fall into. Not that the thought scared him any. His life didn’t really have much of a purpose now and nobody would really miss him if he left. They, Xisuma especially, would just assume he left to another dimension. Xisuma never contacted him while he was in The End, even while he would be in there for weeks at a time to get away from Hermitcraft and be alone.

Now, the loneliness crushed him. He kinda wished he had someone to sit out there with him even if it meant they wouldn’t be talking to each other. The presence was nice. Iskall usually was his chosen partner if he was coming out there while the other focused on getting shulker shells and elytra. The man would crack jokes and ask him genuinely interesting questions about his past. Ex would even show him to some more secretive places in The End with better loot to be generous.

The boat creaked with the void’s breeze. Enderman never really came up here either. Charles was probably killed off at some point by one of the Hermits which he couldn’t really bring himself to care much about it at the moment.

From a pouch hanging from his belt, he pulled out a little red rose with a bottle of water tied to its base. At least his one and only thing was that he could care for- flowers. He twirled it in his fingers, a tear shedding down his face. He wiped it away but more began to fall. While he wiped at his eyes, he decided he’d go back to the captains cabin or something.

Carefully and with more grace than he probably expected, he tightroped his way onto the deck, hopping into it with a thud. His boots were soon discarded and left by the base of one of the masts with his helmet. He removed his red suit, left in nothing but a black short sleeved silk turtleneck and knee length shorts that hung tightly around his legs.

If he had no purpose then he didn’t deserve to still dress like he did.

Lastly, he sat the rose onto the pile of discarded clothing softly, wiping at his face again while more tears soaked his gloves. If Hels were here, he’d say that it was pathetic to cry over something so stupid. Weirdly, Ex felt like he needed to hear that right now. To hear the snarky insults and the gruff mangled voice he grew to love. Have the knight force him to pull himself together.

This hurt. It really did, honestly. That he wasn’t the original Xisuma that everyone came to love. Who was calm and collected and could handle most stressful situations. Who was responsible and had a softer, soothing voice that could carry you out of panic and lull you into peaceful thoughts. Ex tried recreating that voice in his head, to feel some kind of reassurance, but he was only left with the memory of his brother leaving him on the ground helplessly.

At the memory, he choked on a sob. Tugging at his hair, he slid down the mast next to his items.

“Why me, why me, why me,” he repeated, pulling his knees up to his chest. “Why don’t I have a purpose?! Why am I so undeserving of love?!” He cried out to the void. “You created me for a reason, didn’t you?! You dull lifeless void!”

Unsurprisingly, no answer came. Just the sounds of the thin breeze and the creaking of the floating ship. He tucked his face into his knees.

“Why did I have to be in love, either….” he added quietly. “With Helsknight of all people. Is that my purpose….” He pulled his head up again, his eyes meeting the barren sky above. “To love?”

He sighed, letting more tears fall through closed eyes. “I wish….upon a star. I wish….someone….anyone….would give me a purpose,” he finished, finally ducking his head down again and curling into the mast.

_< Helsknight> Evil X, where are you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POOR EX I CRIED JHFBJHGBZKLF


	23. Chapter 23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Tango goes to have some cake an hot chocolate with Stress.
> 
> Characters: Tango, Stress, Xisuma (Doc, Hels, Wels, Keralis, Impulse mentions)
> 
> TW: None I don’t think?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely assisting with posting it here.

* * *

They were all in shock at the event.

Xisuma was _seething_.

Doc was pulling Beef and Wels out of the cage.

Tango had shot the arrow, much to their surprise.

Hels was still stuck in his other state of mind, not showing any signs of returning to his usual sadistic self. Tango’s hands were shaking from shooting his friend for any reason that wasn’t to just mess around. But again, it wasn’t Wels. It was a weird substitute for Wels that apparently had more willpower than he did and that really said something.

Thankfully, the knight was unconscious now. Only one arrow wasn’t enough to kill him and that’s what he hoped for. If Wels died and respawned, while he wouldn’t be too far away, it was safe to assume whatever that thing was had control over him and would have him flying off somewhere else in the opposite direction. Really, at some point it would come out to be a stupid plan. They’d message everyone to capture Wels on sight and given how spread apart everyone was across the map, hiding spots weren’t too evident. A search team of about twenty odd people would find him within an hour at most.

“Tango, are you alright?” Xisuma asked him. His head snapped towards the admin.

The demon exhaled shakily. “I shot him,” was all he said, still staring at the scene in front of him.

“I know, I know, but you did the right thing, Tango.” Xisuma’s voice wavered too much for Tango’s liking. He seemed just as panicked as everyone else was. Yet, his hands were balled right around his sword and his eyes showed none of the usual softness behind his visor.

Tango shook his head, disregarding that statement. “I shot _Wels_ , X.” He gestured vaguely at the knight. In the spur of the moment, he forgot that it was Wels simply being controlled, firing at him instinctively. But after it all, it was still his tiefling friend.

“Yes, you did. But you also just saved Beef from being hurt more than….that.” He gestured vaguely and then put a reassuring hand on Tango’s shoulder. “You can leave if you like. You don’t have to be here.”

_Well thanks_ , Tango wanted to say bitterly. Not quite what he wanted to hear, but Xisuma had a point. A shaking mess of a demon who could now barely hold his bow wasn’t too useful in this situation. Before Tango could accept the invitation to leave, the admin was already typing into his communicator, presumably asking for more help. His hands dropped to his sides defeatedly.

“Okay,” he muttered, taking one last look at the unconscious pair. “Keep me updated?”

“Will do.”

With that and a quick pat on the back, the demon rocketed away from the sandstone building. While he flew, he took out his communicator to see who was coming to help in his place. Preferably more than just one person, he thought. Probably someone fairly close by. Thankfully, he doubted Stress would be accompanying them and her hot chocolate sounded quite good right now.

_< Xisuma> We need some backup at Beef’s base_

_< ImpulseSV> I can lend a hand_

_< Keralis> Me too_

_< Keralis> On my way_

Well, at least they had people who Wels didn’t just try to kill an hour earlier. Tango was still a bit shaken up by that. So, he decided to visit Stress, seeing as she wasn’t accompanying them. Rather than taking the Nether Hub, he opted to take the long route to think and simultaneously clear his head. He kept thinking about Evil X for some reason, but that was justified quickly when he thought back to Xisuma.

Knowing the admin, he could probably just ask about it later, but he didn’t really want to press into matters that weren’t his, jokingly or not, given what’d happened earlier on from doing so. He also wondered about Evil X and how nervous the guy looked before flying off to his base. Poor dude, maybe Tango should’ve at least tried to understand what happened. After all, Xisuma was rare to anger and when he was, Tango didn’t imagine that it was pretty, be it cold silent glares or outright rage.

Nonetheless, it would probably leave you upset with yourself more often than not.

Slowly, he crept up on the familiar giant butterflies crawling around on the jungle trees and the pink topped buildings. The butterflies glanced at him but continued their activities. He landed on the glass rainbow to get a better view of the surrounding area. The demon looked around, not initially finding Stress, but after a few more seconds his eyes landed on the familiar pink cardigan. Strange, he thought she’d still have the T-shirt on, but who was he to judge when that landed him in a mess on its own.

At the sight of her, he grinned and glided down to the pathway where she was.

“Hey Stress!” He waved.

She turned to him. “Oh, Tango! Fancy seeing you here. I thought you were with Xisuma.” She tilted her head in question. “At least I thought anyways. Saw something goin’ on, I assumed you stayed with him.”

“Uh, yeah, I was. Then things got a little heated so I left,” he answered.

Stress nodded. “I saw they needed some backup. Mind telling me what happened? Nobody really knows what’s going on besides the few of you.”

That’s right, they hadn’t really explained in chat, or to anyone else really, what was happening with Wels and Hels. Tango grimaced at the thought that Wels would probably be waking up soon and lash out again. He didn’t want more people to be hurt, especially not Beef. Beef was such a nice guy and genuinely wanted to help both knights. He didn’t deserve how much he was hurt by it. And Impulse was there too now, and that was an accident waiting to happen. He didn’t want one of his closest friends hurt.

“Tango, you alright there? You’re spacin’ out a bit.”

The demon shook his head, ridding himself of the previous thoughts, and coughed awkwardly.

“Well uh, you know how Beef has that cloning machine, right? And Wels used it?”

“Vaguely, but yes.”

“Well, something’s gone wrong recently. I mean, not that it hadn’t before after he used it but worse this time.”

Stress began leading them inside her brewery, nodding along to him. “What happened the first time?”

“Ah, apparently it made this evil clone, I dunno if he met you yet-“

She perked up happily. “Oh, you mean Hels! Yes, yes, he’s a very interesting fellow. Very cooperative, too, I had to care for him because he came in from HelsCraft lookin’ like a mess.”

Tango raised a brow, suddenly interested in what she had to say instead. “Looking like a mess? Nobody really mentioned anything about that when they came over. Just said Hels wanted to meet me and moved on.”

“Oh yeah, had a dagger in his stomach and everythin’. Looked real painful but he’s a tough cookie.” Stress smiled as she sat the demon down on some stairs near a small kitchen she had built earlier on. Not too great for the overall area and stuck out against the few stands but she apparently recently put one in each of her builds in case of events like these, or just to keep baking convenient. “Care for some cake and hot chocolate? No offense, but you look like a mess, too. Could use some sugar.”

And always prepared with sweets.

Tango snorted. “Sure.” He sighed, continuing his story. “Anyways, so after all that, apparently he and Wels began like….switching places? Hels is becoming nicer and Wels….” he trailed off, grabbing Stress’s attention.

“What about Wels?” She leaned against the counter thoughtfully.

“He….came over because he shut himself off from everyone and I pestered him with some trades. _But_ , after telling him that his offers were crap, he tried to kill me.”

Stress fumbled with the cake knife as he said that, her face twisting into worry. “Kill you?! Why on earth would he try to kill you over a trade?!”

The demon shuddered, the knight’s smirking face burning into that back of his mind. “It wasn’t _him_ , Stress. He keeps being taken over by this….weird dark force or something. You should’ve seen his eyes, Stress, they were as red as mine!”

“Oh, goodness. Are you….alright? I mean, we all saw earlier that Evil X killed you, though. We just assumed he was causing some mischief.”

Tango shook his head. “Wels nicked my wing and I just,” he pushed his hands away from him, conveying a falling motion,”fell right into one of the towers.” He circled his arms around himself. “He didn’t help me. I couldn’t speak ‘cus I was hurt. But, I guess just by coincidence, Evil X came over and just….he said something about just going ahead and killing me and after that I was in my bed.”

Stress had momentarily forgotten about the cake and mugs sitting next to her, invested in his story. She had a hand over her mouth in sad surprise. “Did- did anything else happen?”

“Ah….Evil X came in, said Xisuma needed me to come with them. We go back up and Wels has these nasty red marks on his face but he’s still all evil and whatnot. Doc had him tied up and they just left. Suma wasn’t looking too good though.”

The lady eyed him curiously. “Not looking too good?”

“He was looking like he was gonna pass out. He said something about how he apparently hit Wels, something else about not affording to lose another Hermit.” Tango perked up. “Hey, do you know anything about that? I mean, I’ve been here for a while and the servers changed and stuff. Some people left, but he said it like….someone _died_ or something. Like permadeath.”

Stress shook her head with pursed lips. “No, sorry Tango. Is there more to the story or do you want to eat some cake now.”

Slightly, Tango smiled. “Cake first.”

With a grin, she cut him a slice and moved to get some milk and cocoa beans for the hot chocolate. The two fell silent while she worked, pouring the milk in a small pot and placing it on top of a furnace where some heat began growing. She began to hum absentmindedly and cut herself from cake as well. Within a couple minutes, the milk warmed and she finished up grinding the cocoa beans with sugar.

“You like yours with whip cream and marshmallows, luv?” She looked up at Tango who was busy picking at something on his shirt, probably just to pass the waiting time.

“Hm? Oh yes, that’d be nice. Thanks, Stress!” The smile on his face grew and Stress couldn’t help but to warm at the sight of it. At least she had a knack for cheering up her friends with her recipes.

“Right then, they’re done!” She placed the cake and hot chocolate on a tray and had the demon follow her to a lounge-like area through a painting. Well, he’d never seen this before. Looks like she had a whole bunch of surprises.

“This is my private room to chill out once in a while, don’t tell anyone. I have a bunch of these.” She sat on a pink sofa tucked into one end of the long, thin room. “Given what on earth happened to you, I’m deeming you worthy to see it,” she added with a smile. Tango sat on the sofa as well, feeling how plush the cushions were.

“Guess I’m just that messed up now, apparently,” he chuckled. “Thanks again, Stress.” He took the cocoa happily.

“Anytime! If you need a sit, just come right on over.” She took a sip of her cocoa. “I really do hope Wels gets better though. And Hels too. Can’t imagine being kicked out of your own dimension.”

“Me too, Stress, me too.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaa I didn't get around to posting this chapter yesterday sorry


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Wels discovers that the very ruler of HelsCraft is living in his head and things take a turn for the worst.
> 
> Characters: Wels, The Lord of Darkness, Doc (impulse, tango, beef, xisuma mentions)
> 
> TW: Uhh screaming-ish and brief one sentence mention of broken bones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am merely helping out posting it here.

* * *

When Wels woke up, he had control over his body, thankfully. There was a lot of light in the room, however, and it made his head hurt. That, or maybe he ended up hitting his head at some point or got whacked in some way by one of the other Hermits. For good reason, he knew. He wasn’t happy either. In fact, he felt awful for hurting Beef and Tango and probably doing something to Xisuma that made the admin so angrily cautious around him.

He lifted his head slowly and looked around, observing his surroundings. Well, if he was gonna be somewhere random after passing out, he might as well see where he was before the evil voice took him over again. Firstly, he was in an iron chair welded to the floor. Wels was honestly, and weirdly, impressed by that much needed support. Whatever the evil voice was doing while he blacked out, it was strong.

_Awe, why let me take the credit, Wels? You did those things, no?_

The knight grimaced. Great. He was going to be in here, tied up, with the voice wracking at his head again.

“You’re not me,” he spat. “I don’t try to kill my friends.”

_Well now that doesn’t make sense. Were you not the one who bashed your friend’s skull into that door?_

“That wasn’t me,” Wels replied coldly. That was until he realized he wasn’t talking to anyone, really. He was merely replying to his own thoughts which just so happened to sound like someone speaking right into his ear. He huffed.

This will be a long day, night, whatever time it was. To distract himself, he looked around the room again. It was small, maybe only 6 or 7 blocks wide, quite tall, and made of obsidian. The block directly under his chair however, was iron. Other than that, not much else than a single iron wall in front of him which he assumed was a piston door. The roof above him were just several blocks of sea lanterns which were harsh on his eyes. He sighed, ducking his head. _I’m going to go insane in here if they don’t figure out something soon, I can feel it_. He meant no offense to them in his mind, but it certainly wasn’t the best circumstances and it was an accident waiting to happen. He lifted his head again, hoping something new magically appeared or something. The knight already felt uneasy at the thought of being in here alone for such a long time.

_Guess that makes more time for us to chat, hm?_

“No, it’s not.”

_Why’s that?_

“Don’t you have better things to do.”

_Now, now, Wels, you’re the one chained to a chair._

Wels rolled his eyes. “Because you- whatever you are anyways, keep possessing me. Why me? What did I do to you?”

_You’ll find out soon enough. Until then, you’ll be my perfect little soldier._

“No, I won’t.”

_Yes, you will succumb to my darkness, little knight._

“Argh! Just shut up! I’m not listening.” He decided now that he wasn’t going to sit and listen to this for hours. Then, he perked up. He could probably block out the thoughts if he spoke loud enough. Or if he sang loud enough. So he did, starting just louder than his thoughts, mostly as a small distraction.

“There once was a ship that put to sea, the name of the ship was the Billy of Tea, the winds blew up, the bow dipped down, o blow my bully boys blow~”

_You won’t quiet me that easily. I’m your thoughts, Wels. The very anger and hatred for those pathetic Hermits inside of you._

Wels continued his shanty, just a reply ignoring the voice. “Soon may the Wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum. One day, when the tonguin’ is done, we’ll take our leave and go~!”

_Don’t test me, boy. I’ll have you wrapped around my finger._

Wels sang louder, this time focusing as much on the lyrics as he could. “ _She had not bee_ _n two weeks from shore, when down on her a right whale bore. The captain called all hands and swore he’d take that whale in tow~!_ ”

But the voice only continued. And so did he, almost practically screaming the lyrics.

“ _SOON MAY THE WELLERMAN COME, TO BRING US SUGAR AND TEA AND RUM. ONE DAY WHEN THE TONGUIN’ IS DONE, WE’LL TAKE OUR LEAVE AND GO~!_ ”

The knight was startled when the piston door opened. Eyes shooting to the source of the sound.

“Jeez, you’re loud, but nice song though.” The person in question was Doc which Wels gave a breath of relief towards. Though, the creeper looked tired, and if Wels would bet his diamonds on it, he’d guess that Doc was pretty irritable given his annoyed expression to the song anyways. “Why on earth were you singing that loud?”

“There’s an evil voice in my head,” the knight replied bluntly. “I’m trying to get it to shut up.”

Doc hummed, moving to crouch in front of Wels, taking the other’s chin in his robotic hand while the other had a small handheld flashlight. Briefly, he shined the light into his eye which certainly wasn’t comfortable but Doc seemed satisfied with the results. He gingerly took Wels’s hands, examining them. He tapped a finger on Wels’s chin. “Open up.” The knight followed his request and after a second, Doc let him close his mouth. When he stood, the creeper pulled out a clipboard from his inventory.

“How long will I be in here?” Wels decided to ask, hoping his creeper friend was up for some small talk.

“As long as it takes for you to not have to scream sea shanties at four in the morning,” Doc replied without hardly sparing a glance at him. Ah, no wonder he looked so tired and annoyed. He must’ve been woken up when Wels was singing, probably examining him to see if something was out of the ordinary. Well, not unless he was already up.

“Is Beef okay?”

The other nodded. “Yeah, he’s got one hell of a concussion though. Woke up after about fifteen-twenty minutes or so.”

Wels fell silent. At least Beef was fairly okay. Probably very nauseous and has one of the worst possible headaches he’s ever had in his life thanks to Wels, but to some extent, the knight knew that he wouldn’t hold a grudge. A little uncomfortable around him afterwards, but not a grudge. He wasn’t that kind of guy.

_Doc doesn’t even care that he’s keeping you trapped here, Wels._

_He’s not trapping me_ , he thought. _He’s just protecting his friends_.

_Protecting them from who, Wels?_

The knight must’ve made some kind of noise in reply to the thought. Doc eyed him carefully. “What’s it saying?” the creeper asked. Wels just shook his head.

“Nothing,” he muttered. “At least not anything like earlier.”

“I gotta write down everything. What’s it saying.” He eyed the knight pointedly.

“It’s saying that it’s me, apparently. That you don’t care that you’re trapping me in here. That you’re protecting them from me because I’m a threat to all of you and should just succumb to darkness or whatever.” Wels answered his question almost too casually than he intended but if this was how it was gonna be, he might as well make sure they know everything to ensure the best results.

Doc wrote down everything with another hum, not a very happy hum, it sounded gruff, more like a grunt. The creeper probably wasn’t any happier with that information than Wels was. He stuck the pen to the top of the clipboard. “Well, you are trapped for sure, can’t say much more about that. And you’re a threat, too. I can’t sugarcoat it.” He gave Wels a pat on the shoulder. “But you’re still Welsknight, one of the most strong willed people I’ve ever met. If anyone can beat the very demon inside of them, it’s you.”

Slightly, the corner of Wels’s mouth twitched upwards. “Thanks, Doc. I’ll keep it in mind.”

“Good, good. Impulse is on the next shift. If anything happens, call out his name.”

With that, Doc left, the piston door shutting behind him with a loud bang. Wels already missed being able to get up and move around the moment it shut. Technically, in this room, he was safe to do so but it probably came down to what would happen when the piston door opened that made them chain him to the chair. They didn’t even use ropes, he really noticed. He shuffled his wrists and ankles, the metal grinding against the chair. Really, he could sit and admire their handiwork for hours as a distraction but that would only go so far. He huffed. Yeah, he was gonna go insane.

_Just gives me room to take over more often._

“And what’re you gonna do when that happens? Cut off my hands and feet?” Wels absentmindedly replied. Might as well give the voice a sassy chat while he had the time. “I can’t punch through obsidian or iron.”

_Who said I felt the pain of your fingers breaking?_

Wels gulped. Yeah, the voice could just let go of him at any moment while he was lashing out and he’d feel all of the side effects of what he did while he wasn’t in control. He winced when his side stung at the memory of being shot in the cage.

_Tango was the one who shot you, you know. Xisuma was the one who punched you. Beef was going to try to strangle you while you were vulnerable. Doc would’ve gladly stabbed you right there and then._

To a couple of those, Wels actually understood. If he were them, he’d attack himself too. Though, he hardly believed that Beef was going to harm him during that moment earlier and Wels gladly emphasized his doubts with a scoff.

“Do you like….have a name or something? Something we can call you that isn’t ‘The Evil Voice’”? He asked instead.

_Fine then, you may call me The Lord of Darkness. And you, my dear knight, are my vessel. Though, I can’t say you’ll be the only one._

Wels stuttered. “You- you’re- wait that _thing_ from HelsCraft?!”

_You could say that. I influence your world, but soon enough, with your help, you’ll lose everything._

“No, no, no, no, no-“ He shook his head, yelling for his friend, needing them to know what was happening. “Im- IMPULSE! IMPULSE PLEASE COME IN HERE!”

The Lord of Darkness laughed grimly in his head. The edges of his vision was becoming darker, reminding the knight uncomfortably that The Lord of Darkness could simply use him whenever he liked. And now, if it succeeded in getting Wels out of here, The Lord would make him hurt even more of his friends without him knowing and that’s the last thing they all needed right now. Not to mention how The Lord said he wasn’t the only one.

That in itself only made him panic further.

_Goodnight, Wels. Let’s see how poor little Impulse holds up._

“No! IMPULSE PLEASE!” He pulled against his chains.

But the tugging stopped when darkness overcame him and with the sound of the piston doors, a scream rang out in the room.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fucking love this chapter because Wels just screams sea shanties to try and shut the lord of darkness up and its great
> 
> BUT ALSO POOR WELS AAAAA


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Hels goes to find Evil X after Xisuma recruits Keralis and Impulse.
> 
> Characters: Hels, Doc, Xisuma, Keralis, Impulse (Evil X mentions)
> 
> TW: A bit of worrying but otherwise nothing much

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it here.
> 
> Also a note Bee left on this one lol:  
> 'Okay turns out, chapter 24 and 25 are uploaded in the right order but they’re written weird to me lol, this one probably should’ve been first'

* * *

When Keralis and Impulse arrived, it wasn’t any surprise how they reacted to the scene in front of them. Seeing Wels unconscious against the glass in the middle of the room with an arrow sticking out of his side, sweaty and pale, was horrifying. Though, the open iron door with blood dripping down it and Doc wrapping Beef’s head in several bandages disturbed them even more so.

“What….happened….” Impulse asked, looking towards Xisuma. His friend sighed.

The admin didn’t really know how to lay it down without sounding like the weirdest possible thing to ever happen. To say that Wels was taken over by a dark force of some kind that spoke to him in his head and then bashed Beef’s skull repeatedly against the iron door wasn’t exactly an easy idea to process.

“Well,” X started. “Something went wrong when Hels was created.” He eyed Hels who mostly went back to his normal self, sending Xisuma a bored expression. “For some reason, Wels has been becoming….evil, I guess. He tried to kill Tango over a trade earlier.”

“He _what?!”_ Both new additions yelled in unison.

“So, we brought him here,” he continued. “Locked him in a cage and kept Hels here in case anything happened to him too.”

“Not that they cared if anything was wrong with me, they just wanted to help Wels,” Hels added from the other side of the room with a mocking happy tone. No surprise that he was back.

Xisuma shot him a glare but turned his attention back to the boys. “While he was in his weird evil state, he started….struggling. He was fighting against these voices in his head, saying they were loud. Beef went in the cage to help him and….” He gestured to the scene behind him. “Bashed his head in over and over.”

Both Impulse and Keralis were in shock at the explanation. That wasn’t at all what they were expecting to hear, to be honest. If you asked them, they probably would’ve said that they thought it was Hels who they needed the backup for. Probably would’ve been rude to assume, but not improbable, given the situation.

“Wow, I guess I’m no longer the evil one here.” They turned to Hels with a grimace. “What’re you gonna do about it then? Not that it matters to you but I’m not exactly a fan of being soft.”

“Who said we were obligated to help you,” Doc said, finishing up dressing Wels’s wound as well. “Even if helping you meant that Wels would be okay, nothing says we can’t kick you back to Hels.”

“Doc!” Xisuma shouted. “He’s done nothing wrong here, he’s just being himself which, if you think about it, is the best thing we’ve got to rely on right now.”

“Well would ya’ look at that, I’m important.”

Doc grumbled under his breath. Something mentioning Evil Xisuma but the admin had no care to mention it. He turned back to Impulse and Keralis.

“Right then, we’re gonna take him to somewhere more secure, my base, maybe? We can put him underground in some kind of cell until we can figure this out so he’s not hurting anyone else.” Noticeably, Xisuma fidgeted near the end of his sentence uncomfortably. Unsurprisingly to them, he was probably stressed out at what was going on and with what he witnessed firsthand.

“Alright, we can do that. Is Hels staying in a cell, too?” asked Keralis. The knight scoffed. “I’m not staying in a cell. I have self control.”

Xisuma rolled his eyes. “No, he’s not a threat. But we need him around once in a while at least.” He gestured for Hels to get off the table. “You can go stay with Evil X for now while we get Wels there. Keralis, mind getting Beef to the clinic?”

“Can do, Shashwamy!”

While he did that, Doc slung Wels over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, the knight weighing nearly nothing to him. The creeper had a feeling this would probably be happening often over the next couple days if the possession continued. Impulse and Xisuma stood on the side with their hands on their hilts of their swords in case Wels woke up again, though Impulse didn’t like the idea of hurting his friend when he wasn’t the one in control of his own body.

Hels on the other hand stuttered at how casually Xisuma said he should be the one to go see Ex. He didn’t really want to see Ex, not after what’d happened earlier on. Supposedly, the counterpart had feelings for him and that would not do since he was a cold hearted malicious knight with no intent with romance.

Obviously.

“Why do I have to see him?! After what he said?!”

To Xisuma, he only sounded whiny. Though, after what he said to Evil X earlier, a bit of guilt trickled into his stomach. He completely forgot that Ex had even ‘confessed’ after Wels’s outburst and the dark knight bringing it back up only made his stomach churn.

“Well, at least you two will have a lovely discussion,” the admin spat, following Doc outside while Keralis lifted off with Beef. He wasn’t interested in hearing the knight complain. If he wanted to go somewhere else instead, then Xisuma knew he’d just visit another Hermit. Stress, probably, but given what happened to Tango, he wondered if Tango went over there as well.

Hels growled at him while he flew off. “Damn admins thinking they can just tell everyone what to do,” he muttered.

Now, he could just not go to Ex’s place, just avoid the topic altogether and move on. He knew Ex wouldn’t have any problem with that since the counterpart just followed him around more or less like a lost puppy when he wasn’t showing Hels around the server. Hels really should’ve seen it coming before, Ex was infatuated with him from the moment he even knew the knight existed. How hypocritical though, since Hels did the same thing for a couple years when Evil X was still evil. But it wasn’t romantic, at least he thought. He admired how Ex used his powers and how much he was loved by The Lord of Darkness. The Lord praised him for his efforts but that went downhill pretty quickly at some point within the last few years.

The Lord was the one who really decided who those in Hels did and didn’t like. Thus why nobody liked Ex there, not even Hels himself for a period of time. Strangely, he began to grow interested in Evil X again. The man was still a mischief marker for sure, Hels could tell, but he was….kind to Hels. And it could be that the knight was forcefully getting nicer by the day because of whatever was happening to his counterpart, but he did enjoy it. So much so that he found himself flushing at the thought.

Ex gave him gifts of many kinds, usually flowers, but sometimes it was a cool new piece of armor or a cape. Sometimes he gifted Hels some of the leftover magic he had when the knight realized that he no longer had the abilities he was given by The Lord when he was the Champion. And sometimes, he’d just give him random items like a fully enchanted sword or a bow, usually engraved with his name on it.

Hels dragged a hand over his face, his cheeks feeling the heat of his thoughts. Okay, romance was a possibility but rest assured, he wasn’t going to be acting on it. He was really gonna have to talk to this guy, huh? Even if it meant that Ex would be painfully rejected- since Hels was very sure he didn’t feel any romantic attraction to him- he might as well rip the bandaid off and get it over with.

Out of habit, he tried summoning a portal to get to the other’s base but nothing more than a few red sparks left his fingertips. He scowled, of course he’d have to fly. Ex wasn’t that far away, but Hels wasn’t the best at flying much like Wels. He was bound to crash into something. Groaning, he slipped on his elytra, grimacing at the new black feathers growing on them. As much as he hated to admit it, he wanted to be back to normal as well. Yes, he wasn’t a fan of the whole nice thing, but he was growing tired of it. Quite literally as the switch of mind was taking its toll on his body.

He rocketed off into the sky, to go to Evil X’s base. You could see his tower from Beef base so wasted night time making a beeline for it. He flew in circles above it, now noticing how much it kind of looked like Xisuma’s bee farm, just with a random block palette in every section, slime blocks replacing where the honey would be. A little sidetracked, he wondered if the man even liked honey. He had a flower farm but he didn’t seem to show any taste for it.

Hels shook his head, landing and walking around inside. Where stalls of bees would be, there was just nothing. The only thing really in there was a walkway down the center of the build and on the sides, a spiraling staircase into a deep pit of darkness. Lord only knew how many mobs were down there and before he knew he was, he worried for Ex’s safety. The man didn’t respawn like Xisuma did, having hundreds of mobs would only risk him dying. Really, Ex might’ve been smarter than that, but he had his moments.

The knight’s stomach twisted at the thought. Without Ex, it was a little awkward to be the only Evil Hermit on the server and with what Wels thought of him, it made him a little uneasy to some extent. He actually grew to like Beef and it was a shame that he lived so close to Wels, not that he could control that. Hels wasn’t afraid of a Wels, per se, but he had to give him credit where credit was due: Wels was an amazing fighter. The thought of the blue jeweled hilt of Wels’s sword just barely sticking out of his stomach crossed his mind with that and he made an audible noise to it, gripping the glass railing beside him.

Especially since what was happening to Wels. The amount of obsidian he needed was all too familiar to Hels. Whatever was in the other knight was definitely something from Hels, he was quite sure. They weren’t switching. Something, somewhere deep in Hels was trying to use the lighter knight to do their bidding and it wasn’t Helsknight himself. Whatever was affecting Wels was using the essence of Hels’s very personality.

Which, he could guess, was flattering.

After a few minutes of searching, flying up and around the base again and flying back inside, he discovered that Ex wasn’t here. He grumbled to himself. The sun was beginning to hide behind the hills and he didn’t feel like flying all over the entire server just to look for Ex. Muttering curses under his breath, he pulled out his communicator, a gift from the admin early on so they could keep an eye on him and vice versa.

_< Helsknight> Evil X, where are you?_

He tapped his foot impatiently while he waited against the railing. He rolled his eyes, typing again.

_< Helsknight> Hello?_

_< Helsknight> Anyone seen him?_

_< Tango> Not at his base? That’s where he told me he would be_

_< Xisuma> Not at my base_

_< Helsknight> Dude check your communicator_

_< Xisuma> Oh jeez I think I upset him_

Hels furrowed his brows. Then, he thought back to how Ex went to go talk to Xisuma after his little random confession. A bit of anger bubbled in his stomach at whatever the admin could’ve said to make his counterpart run off and hide like that. He glared at the screen as he typed.

_< Helsknight> What did you do._

_< Tango> Same here, he was scared or something after I saw you leave X_

_< Xisuma> Oh no_

_< Xisuma> Hels are you by an end portal? There’s one in evil Xs base underground_

_< Helsknight> I’ll find it_

_< Helsknight> Whatever you did, I will kill you for it_

_< Xisuma> Just go find him._

With a huff, Hels turned off his communicator, not bothering to read any other messages afterwards. He looked down over the railing, swaying a bit from the sheer amount of height. He’s handled darkness and raids and hundreds of mobs before but he’s come out with more injuries than he could count. Just because he could fight them off didn’t mean it was ever a pleasant experience.

Sucking in a breath, he made his way over to the stairs, drawing his sword and shield.

_Well, here goes nothing._

* * *


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Introducing….The Lord of Darkness.
> 
> Characters: Impulse, Keralis, Xisuma, Doc, Wels, The Lord of Darkness, Evil X, Hels
> 
> TW: A bit violent, this chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOSH  
> OMINOUS  
> lmao sorry anyways  
> *clears throat*  
> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it here.

* * *

“Impulse get up, your turn.”

Groggily, Impulse turned over in his bed with a whine. “It’s 4 already?” He sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. When he took his hands away, Doc was already halfway flopped onto his bed snoring.

He snorted, but knew that the creeper was up for at least a day before he finally got some sleep. Impulse had a habit of sleeping in so he wasn’t in bed until nearly 2am, and now only having gotten 2 hours of sleep. Thankfully, he had one of the shorter shifts as did Keralis. Xisuma and Doc decided they would be the ones to keep the longer hours.

Tiredly, he threw his legs over the side of the bed and threw on his armor from his inventory. Grabbing his sword from beside the bed, he made his way out of the room and down the blinding white hall. Xisuma could at least put some concrete or honey in here too to not make it so harsh on the eyes but he couldn’t complain when there were more pressing matters.

However, Impulse wasn’t halfway down the hall before he heard shouting- no, _screaming-_ from behind the piston door. Screaming Impulse’s name. Suddenly wide awake, he pulled the lever to the door, preparing for the worst. And boy, did the worst hit him.

The moment he opened the door, he was met with a red eyed stare, but not from Wels. The knight in question was sat up straight, wide eyed, but behind the chair stood a tall shadowy creature. It looked vaguely like a wither skeleton but draped in long black robes that faded into the floor seamlessly. Curled horns made their way from its head and before Impulse would react, large hands seemingly made of shadows quickly made their way to him.

They didn’t grab him. Instead, they shoved themselves inside him and it felt as if they were ripping at his organs. At first, he let out a spine chilling scream, but as the seconds passed, Wels took on a deadly glare and with the tilt of his head towards Impulse, the man fell to the floor.

Behind him, the three from the other room joined with their gear and swords ready. Though they hadn’t prepared themselves for what they saw. They thought it was just Wels lashing out again, probably escaped, but it wasn’t that. Easily, Wels broke through the chains on the chair with a mere tug of his limbs. The creature laughed, a howl of thunder ringing around the room.

“Who are you?!” Xisuma yelled. Nobody made a move to attack whatever it was just yet. Impulse was unconscious and Wels stood stock still just….staring. He wasn’t lashing out nor spitting snarky comments at them. Just red, slitted eyes, gazing at them blankly.

The creature spread his arms as if to show off himself and held his head high. “I am the Lord of Darkness, a creature of pure hatred and chaos, here to destroy your world once and for all.”

The Lord of Darkness….Where had Xisuma heard that from? Quickly his thoughts were shoved aside by a deep chuckle from his left.

“Well,” Doc began, taking a more crouched stance. “I can’t let you do that.” With that, he charged at The Lord of Darkness, but was swiftly caught by Wels. This time, Wels had a vice grip, not showing any signs of letting go.

“ _I can’t let you do that_ ,” Wels parroted. His voice sounded as if there were four of him in the room. With no struggle, he ripped the trident from Doc’s grip and the creeper growled. Doc was easily a foot taller than Wels, how could this be?!

“Wels, take care of him for me.” The Lord of Darkness turned to Xisuma and Keralis. “And you two-“ It held up a hand, red particles emitting from it. “Can work for me.”

As the particles shot their way, both deflected them with their swords and made a run for it. They both felt incredibly awful about leaving Doc but what could they do? Kill Wels? Kill The Lord of Darkness? The two made a beeline upstairs and out of the base, throwing on their elytra and fumbling to pull out their rockets. Behind them, all they could hear was the growing thunderous cackle emitting from the ground, practically making the jungle trees shake.

“Ohhh that’s bad. That’s really bad,” Keralis worried. “What do we do now?!”

“ _Would you calm down?!”_ Xisuma snapped. “I don’t know yet but we need to find Evil X, he might know something about this. He’s mentioned something about The Lord of Darkness before.”

Keralis fell silent, not wanting to stress the admin further. Internally, however, he was terrified. He fired rockets like there was no tomorrow to get away from- from that. Whatever the Lord of Darkness was planning to do to the server, he could only wonder what Wels and Hels had to do with it. Maybe The Lord of Darkness was The Lord of Hels to some extent.

Was Evil Xisuma from Hels? Or lived there? Did he know The Lord of Darkness? Keralis thought up hundreds of questions within the minute they flew. He glanced at Xisuma, only just barely seeing his eyes through the tinted visor. In front of them, the sun was peeking on the horizon and the sky began turning a deep blue. While he could only see Xisuma’s eyes, his brows were quite obviously knitted together.

They circled Evil X’s base, not finding him, nor Hels, outside. Xisuma figured as much, since it was beginning to probably just pass 4:30am. They were presumably asleep. They landed on a decently made stone pathway leading to the front. Glancing at each other, they went inside, but stopped when their communicators buzzed.

_**[Docm77 was slain by The Lord of Darkness]** _

Their breaths hitched at the death message. They could only hope that their creeper friend was okay. At least he would respawn, despite it not it not being very favorable among the Hermits. Both Xisuma and Keralis kind of wondered what The Lord of Darkness did to kill him. Given the current events, it must’ve been torture of some kind and both of their stomachs twisted at the various ways it could’ve happened.

**_[ImpulseSV was slain by The Lord of Darkness]_ **

“Oh jeez. I don’t like where this is going,” Xisuma muttered, pocketing his communicator. “Come on, we’re losing time.” He gestured for Keralis to follow, which he did.

Thankfully, both Hermits had been to Evil Xisuma’s base quite often with their close proximity. They knew the Ins and Outs of the place and had no problem descending the winding steps into the darkness below. With their frequent visits also came the knowledge that the darkness was only temporary to scare some people off if need be. Slowly, the light level lifted and they were back to sea lanterns and glowstone littering the walls randomly.

Their communicators were going off repeatedly and Keralis decided to check his while Xisuma led the way, vaguely listening to any minor comments from the admin.

_< Stressmonster101> The lord of darkness?_

_< Tango> The lord of darkness?_

_< GoodTimesWithScar> Who’s the lord of darkness?_

_< Tango> Oh wait_

_< Tango> You guys ok?_

More questions about The Lord of Darkness littered the chat, but Impulse, not Doc, had replied and that only worried him further. Nearly hitting a wall on their way down, he replied.

_< Keralis> We’re fine but we’re going to the end to find evil xisuma_

_< Keralis> X said he probably has something to do with it_

_< Helsknight> DO NOT GO NEAR THE LORD OF DARKNESS_

_< Helsknight> I CAN HANDLE THAT MYSELF. DO NOT TRY TO STOP HIM._

_< Welsknight> I’m afraid they already have, Helsknight._

Keralis’s eyes widened at the texts and finally, they made it to the portal. Before they went in, however, he tugged on Xisuma’s shoulder, stopping the other. Trying to pull up the previous messages, the chat only became more clogged when other Hermits were trying to contact Wels.

“What is it?” X huffed.

“Hels said not to try to stop The Lord of Darkness and….Wels replied to the chat.”

With a raised brow, Xisuma looked at Keralis’s communicator. He frowned. “Well, the more reason to find them, but I’m still gonna help.” He turned to the portal and without hesitation, he jumped into it.

Keralis groaned at the other’s antics. He honestly was starting to grow wary of his friend, but it was just stress he supposed. Like he told himself for the tenth time that minute. The admin also didn’t get much sleep, he knew. If anything, Xisuma probably got an hour or two after handling a few different responsibilities with Doc.

He sighed. He wasn’t doing anything to help by standing here. Following after Xisuma, he jumped into the portal as well, feeling the familiar soft end stone beneath his feet. Looking around, he didn’t see Xisuma but with a closer look into the sky, he spotted the familiar red armor and flew up to that.

Evil X couldn’t be that far away could he? The man was made in The End, he thought. In the void at least. He probably knew his way around the place like the back of his hand. Keralis wondered how far out he’s gone before and how far he went yesterday. Probably much more than they’ve gone. They’ve gone a few thousand blocks out but if Keralis knew anything about Evil X, it was that he liked a lot of space when he wanted to be alone.

He caught up with Xisuma, flying alongside him, not really starting any conversation. The moment was too tense for a conversation in his opinion so he stayed silent. The admin had coordinates displayed on his visor, probably leading him to his brother.

And about twenty thousand blocks out south seemed to do the trick when they found an old broken down end city draped in cobwebs. Near it over the void was a floating ship and that was where Xisuma led them.

Landing on the back near the steering wheel, it was no surprise when they saw Evil X sat against the first mast at the front of the boat, some other legs sticking out behind him. Keralis applauded Xisuma silently, making a proud expression at him. Briefly, the corners of X’s eyes crinkled but that left as soon as he started walking over to Evil X.

The counterpart, on the other hand, shuffled away from Xisuma a bit fearfully, guarding what he just assumed was Hels behind him.

“I’m not mad at you. I need your help,” Xisuma stayed blankly. He peered around Ex. “What’s going on over there?”

Ex shifted to show Hels, who was quite obviously not looking very healthy. His skin looked greyer than it usually seemed. “Um….I don’t know….” At his response, the knight only gave Xisuma a pained expression.

“What happened to Wels while you were there,” asked Hels. He winced at a random surge of pain in his stomach. “What did The Lord say to you.”

Xisuma crouched to examine the knight but Ex pushed him away.

“You said you’re not cleaning up my messes.”

Xisuma shook his head, not having any of it. He kept trying to do so again and again but huffed when Ex kept him away from Hels. “Fine, this is your mess! What did you do to Hels, then?”

Ex huffed as well. “I don’t know but I’m figuring it out. The Lord is here because I kept failing at my tasks.”

“Same here,” Hels added.

Xisuma dragged a hand down his visor with a groan. He felt surrounded by idiots.

“Hold on, all of this is happening because of you?!” Keralis asked from behind the admin, growing more frustrated. The man couldn’t believe that his friend was suffering mind controlled rage all because Evil X was on the server and he would not stand for it.

The counterpart ducked his head. “….Yeah, but it was probably inevitable. Though, Wels isn’t the only one going through it.”

Ignoring Keralis’s anger, Xisuma pushed further. “Who else is going through it?”

Ex looked up, meeting his eyes. “You are, Xisuma.”

* * *


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Hels discovers that he does, in fact, love Ex. But, this isn’t the end of anything yet.
> 
> Characters: Hels, Ex (Xisuma mention)
> 
> TW: Some crying, mostly a heated argument, almost dying, some cursing, annnddddd I guess some smooching if that makes you uncomfortable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it here.
> 
> Also Bee said she doesn't like this chapter but I love it >:0

* * *

Seeing a dim light through the thick layer of darkness sent one of the strongest waves of relief over Hels than he’s ever felt in his life.

Exhaling a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, he made his way down the rest of the stairs quickly. At some point, he wondered how far underground they even went given that Xisuma’s bee farm ended right at ground level. Ex didn’t seem to have a lot of private plans going on in his life. He was almost always around the other Hermits so seeing it dug down so far below was odd.

When he finally reached the bottom, that relief was slowed to a halt at nearly identical hallways tunneling throughout the lower area of Ex’s base. Looking around for some kind of sign, he discovered the Evil X was not the kind of person to label anything. Great, he thought, just great. Thinking back to it now, he could vaguely remember someone telling him that the man didn’t label any of his chests in the flower shop either which brought a deep frown to his face.

He groaned. Lord only knew where any of these tunnels went- and quite literally, The Lord probably did- and Hels now wished on the most evil star he could that he had his powers back. Now, he was just some pathetic knight aimlessly walking through tens of corridors. It was like a maze at least hundreds of blocks long. Left, right, go back, left, left, right again, go back to the start. This continued for nearly ten minutes at least and with one more tread back to the beginning, he threw a punch at the stone wall.

“For the love of everything Ex, can you put one sign anywhere?!” The knight ducked his head with a sigh, closing his eyes. “Where are you….”

In his moment of brief thoughts to just give up and have Xisuma come look for him instead and handle Wels himself, something repeatedly kept hitting his boot. Opening his eyes, he looked over to see a small silverfish rapidly running back and forth trying to attack him. At first, he snorted at the pathetic attempts to hurt him. The little guy wouldn’t do much damage unless it decided to crawl on him like the others but this one seemed too stupid to really try anything worth worrying about.

Then Hels remembered a fact about silverfish: the little guys didn’t spawn much unless you were in an extreme hills biome or near an end portal. Given that Ex’s base was in or near a jungle- Hels couldn’t remember for sure how the biome separation worked- he only assumed that the silverfish followed him back from somewhere near a portal room.

The knight perked up, reaching down and picking up the silverfish, with gloved hands of course. It wriggled and squirmed but made no attempts to bite at him, probably with its size. This silverfish was just half the size of one of the normal ones. Absentmindedly, Hels wondered if that had anything to do with anything else going on related to Wels. He’s never seen anything like it, but it was a possibility.

Hearing another small squeak, he turned his head to another silverfish in the doorway of one of the tunnels. He sat the first silverfish back on the floor, following where the new trail of silverfish had begun spawning from. He approached the next silverfish, the creature definitely much larger than the first and had more ill intention for sure. He walked past it with a brisk pace, seeing another silverfish a few more feet away.

He followed the trail of silverfish, some spawning out of the walls, others simply coming out from cracks and crevices that were never patched up. It wasn’t more than about two minutes until he saw the familiar stone bricks lining the walls and he silently thanked the universe for not letting him be lost in the corridors again. After another couple of turns, more and more silverfish climbed out of the walls, biting at his ankles and knees. He paid no mind to it, however, when he finally reached the portal room.

“ _Oh thank god_ ,” he exhaled. With that, he wasted no time mildly jogging up the steps and jumping into the portal.

The End wasn’t his turf, he knew. He never really came here except to visit Evil X and he glared at the sheer amount of enderman wandering around. He hated enderman. The creatures here in The End, the dragon especially, were so unnecessary. The End dimension as a whole was unnecessary and just a way to make players feel good about themselves by killing a dragon with exploding beds.

He scoffed to himself. _Lame_.

Hels looked around, not seeing any signs of Ex being around. Surely he couldn’t have gotten far, right? The knight called out for him a few times, receiving no answer. He better not have just flown off a million miles away, because that meant Hels would have to fly around to find him and his elytra wasn’t enchanted. In fact, it lost nearly two thirds of its durability since he’s last repaired it.

Which was just barely three days ago.

If they broke while he was flying, he was done for, be it a fall onto the flat surface of the endstone or reaching his demise in The Void. Either way, his stomach churned at the thought but what was the point of turning back now? He’s already spent his time getting all the way here, and punching a wall in the process. He might as well try.

For Ex, he thought, but the entire reason he was coming here was literally to painfully reject him and leave him to his own devices while Hels went back to the overworld to help with Wels. It didn’t feel any better to him than it certainly would for Evil X, but like he’s told himself over and over, there was nothing between them. They’re better off as friends, or even enemies, if it came to it after their discussion. Yet, he still went to do it.

With that, he lifted off into the near black sky, sucking in a breath of the thin air when he began to fly over The Void. What direction would Ex even be in, he wondered. If the slowly declining durability was anything to go by, he probably had enough to last one trip out about ten thousand blocks in one direction and one trip back to the portal.

Hels stopped mid flight and hovered to look around. The knight began trying to recall where Ex said they’ve been and where he’s gone. The counterpart said he’s traveled over a hundred thousand blocks into the distance which Hels prayed on everything that he wasn’t out that far. That would just be a waste of time. Then he had a thought.

_Out south._

At one point during one of their conversations in The End, Evil X mentioned that he’d go out south when he needed some space. The Hermits never traveled more than about twenty thousand blocks to save the durability of their elytra so about as far as that would be where he kept himself alone. How or why Hels remembered that, he personally had no clue. But if it was anything to go off of, then he’d take it. Though, like he mentioned to himself earlier, there was only enough durability in his wings to last twenty thousand blocks or so. If Ex was out that far, the knight wouldn’t make it back without some kind of aid. And he wasn’t the type to just ask for help. Help was for cowards.

He sighed. The Void didn’t look any more inviting with that thought process and again, too far to turn back now unless he could turn back and use the broken elytra excuse. But he was trying to maintain some degree of respectability among the Hermits so that they wouldn’t be so rude to him. It was their whole little thing to help each other and make sacrifices for each other if the situation called for it and Hels gagged at the thought. Yet, Ex again came to mind, encouraging him.

The knight continued on anyways. This inevitable conversation wasn’t going to start itself. He flew further. Not because he was worried about Ex but because he wasn’t going to live with the humiliation that Evil X threw onto him. Yes, that was why. Because again, his kind wasn’t capable of love and even if they were, he didn’t even remotely like Ex, not romantically. Definitely so. And the current blush creeping across his cheeks at the mere thought of the other was his best proof.

He shook his head. Sidetracked, sidetracked, he was always getting distracted by Ex and his stupid scar covered face.

At some point, he managed to reach a barren End City like the ones Ex told him about when he rambled. The other said that there used to be life there. Older versions of Evil Hermits used to live there with him and then the Hels dimension became a thing and slowly but surely, everything was abandoned. He glanced at his elytra durability displayed just on the upper left of his field of vision. Nearly broken, just a few points left.

Hels circled the city, trying to find any signs of someone there. Soon, his eyes landed on a figure sitting on a floating ship. If he could just make it to the ship with this last point-

_And he didn’t._

The knight found himself falling quickly just as he was near landing and his stomach dropped at The Void growing larger and larger as he fell. He reached out, rapidly swinging his arms to catch the boat’s back end and the figure, whom he assumed was Ex by the looks of things, was running to the back of the ship as well. Just barely did his hands meet Hels’s wrists but nonetheless, he was caught and dangling over the edge above the intimidating Void.

“Do not let go, I swear to god, Ex!” He reached up and grabbed Ex’s hand with his other hand.

“Don’t plan to,” he simply replied. With strength even Hels didn’t know he had, he pulled the other up onto the ship easily. The two stumbled backwards and onto the deck, the knight flopping on top of the other. “Ow….”

For a second, the two laid there with heaving breaths, Hels not bothering to move himself. He was just thankful he had some kind of ground to stand on. Internally, he cursed because now he didn’t have an elytra to return back to the portal. Ex lifted his head, pushing himself up on his elbows.

“You alright there? What on earth are you doing here?” he asked. Hels almost completely forgot how his voice sounded without the helmet. It was just so regular, so much higher pitched than what he grew used to hearing. Evil X sounded identical to Xisuma but it was odd to him because this wasn’t Xisuma.

“Yeah, give me a second, I just almost fell into The Void, you know.” The knight huffed, pushing himself off the alter ego. “Xisuma said I needed to come find you.”

Ex seemed almost too surprised at the statement for what Hels expected. He thought the two were practically joined at the hip and just kind of knew where each other was all the time and always talked. That technically wasn’t inaccurate but he couldn’t really assume since that wasn’t the case with him and Wels. He raised a brow.

“What?”

The other frowned sadly. “I didn’t think he’d wanna know where I was.”

Hels sat back on his legs, now taking in Ex’s appearance. It struck him now that he almost never saw the other without his suit and he was much smaller than he expected. Scrawnier. Maybe just long and lanky, but fairly lean nonetheless. Either way, Hels questioned him further.

“Why? He said he probably upset you or something in chat.”

Then, Evil X stumbled while standing, heading over to the small pile of items at the front of the boat. Hels followed, curious as to what the other was even up to out here. Ex picked up his communicator from the pile where Hels noticed a flower sat. The other began scrolling profusely.

“Oh! You guys were….actually worried. I think.”

_Of course we were, you idiot,_ Hels wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. This wasn’t what he was out here for. _You left without telling anyone._

The knight rolled his eyes instead. “Yeah, yeah, sure they were, but I wasn’t. Don’t get your hopes up about it, they had other issues you know.”

Visibly, Ex deflated at the statement, the previous sadness lasting from before making its way back into his expression. “Oh….Right then. Why are you here if you weren’t worried? You flew all this way until your elytra broke.”

The knight’s stomach twisted. It could just be his mind switching over again, but he actually began feeling bad for destroying probably what was the last shred of hope Ex even had of anyone wanting to find him. Maybe this was the wrong time to do this.

“Xisuma said I need to talk to you about what you did earlier.”

Much to Hels’s surprise, Ex scoffed. “Of course. Because he wants to tell me that he’s not gonna clean up my messes and then decides I’m not responsible enough to decide when I’m ready to talk.” He walked over and sat next to the mast. “Can’t believe him.”

Absentmindedly, Hels sat down as well, across from him. “Clean up your messes?”

“Yeah, he told me I embarrassed you and all that. I said some things, he said some things. In the end, he just flew off saying that he wasn’t gonna help me anymore.” The evil hermit drew his legs up to his chest at the memory. “But here he goes, walkin’ in like he can just change his mind….the scumbag.”

To Hels, Xisuma just sounded incredibly immature and that was saying something when Hels hung out with Evil X more often than not. To hear that Xisuma would just ditch his counterpart like that only made him wonder about his current mindset brought on by Wels’s mental transformation. Maybe Ex was being punished as well. Or, Xisuma was genuinely angry but even Hels doubted that.

“Right then,” Ex added, pulling the knight from his thoughts. “Let’s hear it.”

Hels stared at him, dumbfounded. “Hear what?”

“What do you mean ‘hear what’? Get on with it then! The rejection! Just say you don’t like me and get it over with.” The man gestured wildly as he spoke, raising his hands repeatedly. “Honestly, just say you never wanna see me again and we can be done with it.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the mast. “I know you, Hels, that’s why you came.”

Well this wasn’t exactly how Hels intended for the conversation to go. He thought maybe Ex would at least talk about it first. And, it was almost scary how Ex knew that it was why he came here. The counterpart really must’ve spent too much time with him to simply know those things and how his brother would send the knight to talk to him. But instead, Hels grew naturally defensive to that statement, deciding that he wouldn’t immediately reject him to give him the satisfaction of being right.

“Why’s that? Because I’m hateful?” The knight laughed. “And you think for a second that I don’t care?” He thought for a second. “Okay, that’s fair. But still, you can’t just assume.”

“What, are you saying you _do?”_ Ex spat. “Honestly Hels, you can’t just tell me that you weren’t worried and say that you care now out of spite. You were going to reject me, weren’t you. But because I knew, you just want to make it look like I was wrong because of your stupid ego.”

“How do you know,” the knight growled. “How come you can just know those things?!”

“Because I took the time to get to know you when we hung out.” Ex held up his index finger, pausing the knight before he could reply. “And so did you. You remembered I would be out south despite me telling you that weeks ago.”

Hels stared at Ex in surprise. Okay, Ex was correct about that. But that didn’t mean anything, you can do that with your friends. Yet, Ex was only confusing him. He doubted that Ex really knew what he was talking about either given that Xisuma most likely had to explain it to him in the first place. The knight sighed defeatedly, deciding it wasn’t worth it to argue further.

“You know what? I don’t know, then.”

“Hels I swear-“

“Ex, I don’t know. You’re right, okay?! I came here to reject you and cut you off and just go back to the overworld and help Xisuma and just leave you to do whatever, alright? I was going to hurt you and get it over with but….”

Ex leaned forward. “ _But?”_

“But I don’t _want_ to,” the knight stated firmly. “I don’t want to hurt you but I don’t know what I think.”

“I don’t care what you _think_ , I just want to know how you _feel_ , Hels. They’re different. You’re making the decision here. Not me, not Wels, and certainly not The Lord of Darkness.”

Hels shook his head, growing more frustrated at his thoughts. “I barely understand my own feelings! I’m not feel-y! I’m a _villain_ in this story, Ex.”

The other stared at him, but it quickly turned to sadness. “In my story, I was a villain and I changed, Hels. I became more than what The Lord of Darkness wanted me to be. You can do the same, make up your mind.”

Hels rolled his eyes, but admittedly, his emotions were beginning to get the best of him. “Well, _Evil Xisuma_ , why don’t I let you know then. I. Don’t. Know. You brought me out of there and threw me into this damned world and I- I enjoyed it, but _this_ -“ he gestured to himself. “This isn’t how my story ends. I don’t grow and change, I do what I’m told.”

“Not in _my_ story. In _my_ story, you were saved from that.” Ex retorted, tears beginning to prick at his eyes which Hels frowned even more at. “In _my_ story, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me, and I helped you to escape.” He stopped, letting a couple drops roll down his cheeks and wiping them away angrily. Hels merely stared. “In my story, you were saved from what you weren’t meant to be.”

The knight practically felt his heart break- the heart he didn’t know he really had. He ducked his head, sighing through his nose. “In my story, I’m nothing worth saving, Ex.” He screwed his eyes shut, memories from his life in HelsCraft dancing in his mind. All of the blood and guts dripping from his hands. “In my story, made me and I’m what The Lord wanted me to be.”

Clearly, that wasn’t at all what Ex wanted, nor needed, to hear but it was what Hels believed and unlike Hels, it angered Ex. The dull, sad red eyes grew into a mightier crimson and his expression hardened with a clenched jaw. Ex hated HelsCraft, The Lord of Darkness, how he strung everyone into his commands. He almost felt bad for Hels, almost.

“So, you live knowing that there’s nothing more than being evil.”

“Ex-“

“Do you or do you not love me, Hels?! It’s simple! Because I love you more than anything!” The other snapped.

_It’s really not,_ the knight’s mind screamed _. Because I hate you more than anything._

_I hate you for making me run away from the very place I used to call my home._

_I hate you for letting me tell myself I’m not capable of loving anything because I’m shackled to villainy._

_I hate you for making me think that I’m not worth loving because I’ve killed hundreds, thousands, of people and creatures alike because I didn’t have that damn luxury of letting go._

_I hate you for having someone to guide you to kindness and sacrifice when I’ve drowned you in my past._

_And god damn it. I hate you for making me love you. You, of all people, the man that ripped me from my world and gave me somewhere I could really call…_

“Home….” Hels muttered, eyes widening. “My home.”

Ex sended him a confused expression. “Wha- Home? What are you on about?”

However, that question was answered wordlessly. Answered by soft lips intertwining with his own, set on their own gentle pace, filled with a passion lit by the fire the knight emerged from. Long, slow fingers trailing his every feature down the smallest scar. Answered so obviously with one phrase both whispered in the backs of their minds.

Ex found himself reciprocating the action, pulling the knight closer by the waist. And not for a second through any of it did Ex dare open his eyes because the world would never agree for the knight to ever lose his place.

Helsknight was not destined to let go of his past and free himself from the chain of darkness around his neck.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> INSERT UGLY SOBBING


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Doc and Impulse respawn in Hels and meet a particularly familiar Evil Hermit.
> 
> Characters: Doc, Impulse, BadTimesWithScar :3
> 
> TW: None

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it here.

* * *

Wherever they respawned, it wasn’t their beds.

Groaning, Impulse and Doc pushed themselves off of the cracked stone which, contrary to how cold it usually was, was quite hot to the touch. Not enough to burn but enough to make it uncomfortable to continue laying on. As they sat back on their legs, they looked at each other with worry before turning their heads to scan the scenery around them. At first, they assumed that they were in the Nether, for whatever reason. But the sheer lack of disproportionately placed chunks of netherack and really any mobs at all cancelled those assumptions. They were on an island sat in a vast sea of lava, nobody else around. Looking up, the two discovered there was a sky. A very dark, red, muddy sky, but there was no bedrock at the top as far as they could see.

Doc stood, deciding to take some kind of action quicker than Impulse. He patted himself down to find his communicator but turned up empty handed with a growl.

“Impulse, is your communicator gone, too?” He asked while he looked around again for any signs of life. Nothing more than an obsidian tree behind them tipped with glowstone. With a step back, the creeper could see a portal of some kind in it, but completely unlit.

Impulse on the other hand checked over himself for his communicator but, like Doc, also came up with nothing.

“Nope.”

Putting his hands on his hips, Doc huffed. Okay, no communication with the other Hermits and they were stranded on some random island after being killed by The Lord of Darkness. Come to think of it, this could be the place where The Lord of Darkness resided. He thought back to a conversation he had with Xisuma weeks before. Xisuma told him that Hels said he was from a place lit only by fire and lava. Could this be the place? The Hels dimension? But where were the other Evil Hermits if this was the place, didn’t they have a home here somewhere?

The creeper grumbled to himself. Questioning everything wasn’t going to help him, nor Impulse, for sure. They needed to find a way off of this island and back to the overworld. He turned to Impulse who hadn’t stood yet, just watching Doc while he looked around the place. The poor guy did look a bit shaken up and that also reminded Doc….

“What happened when you opened that door?” he asked.

“Um, well there was that weird shadow creature-“

“The Lord of Darkness.”

“Right, that. Wels was just kinda staring at me but he looked really surprised. Like wide, bright red eyes. But, after a second, these huge shadowy hands just came at me and,” Impulse gestured to himself. “Went inside me. It felt like all of my organs were being ripped apart. After that, I was out.”

Doc nodded along to his recap, trying to piece together any kind of useful information from it. All he could come up with from his own experience afterwards and given their current appearances, they had no armor or weapons. Just in case, he pulled up his inventory as Impulse did the same. Yeah, no weapons, not even any food either. Knowing The Lord of Darkness, that thing wouldn’t hesitate to let them starve.

“Okay then,” Doc muttered. “Got nothing, but I think I know where we are.”

Impulse perked up. “You do?”

The creeper nodded. “Kind of, but it’s a solid theory. I think we’re in Hels.”

“….Hels like…..?”

“The dimension, Impulse.” The other nodded with an ‘ _oh’_. “But, if that’s the case, there’s more Evil Hermits here somewhere and they’re probably not nearly as nice.” Really, it set the bar pretty low to say that Helsknight was nice by any means, but whatever didn’t kill them on sight was what he was considering to be nice at the moment.

Impulse only became suddenly curious. “Weirdly enough, I….kinda wanna meet them. Imagine like yours is a red creeper,” he snickered.

“Ha ha, this is serious, Impulse. We need to find a way out of here. I’m wondering if we’ll just respawn here by jumping into the lava….”

“Oh, you’ll die, but not by lava.”

The two snapped their heads to the voice, Impulse standing and joining Doc near the tree. However, they were only overcome by surprise at the figure standing at the edge of the island.

“Scar? No wait, _evil_ Scar,” Doc concluded.

The man snorted. “Smarter than ya’ look. Name’s BadTimesWithScar. Friends call me Oscar, but you two,” he eyed them pointedly, ”are not friends, are you.”

It was odd seeing the face of their friend look so downright cynical. All of the scars that Scar had over his face and neck were still in place on this alter ego. BadTimes was dawned in a similar outfit to what Scar usually wore, the brown jacket and creamy white button up complete with a hat. Only this one wore black and all of his clothing was tattered to some extent. Spikes littered the tops of his shoulders and the man wore fingerless gloves. It was almost like a weird punk version of Scar. But he didn’t look like he planned to play games.

“If we’re not friends, why are you here?” Impulse asked. BadTimes just rolled his eyes.

“Lord said I need to to take ya’ to Hels,” he shrugged. “You try anything fishy, I have your head. Got it?” They nodded hesitantly. “Good,” he finished with a sly grin. Really, it only made them miss the overworld more than anything.

BadTimes walked closer to the edge of the island where lava bubbled and popped on his boots. He gestured to the vast pool of lava. “Down there’s the castle, but you need wings.” He pulled elytra from his inventory, shoving them into the others’ chests. Yeah, they really wanted to go back to the Overworld. They were already beginning to miss Scar’s kind nature.

As they put on their elytra, they were surprised at how each set of sings just looked the same. BadTimes threw on his own and deep black bat-like wings spread across his back as did Doc and Impulse’s wings. Really, Impulse naturally had very dark wings but they were feathered and tipped with yellow. Doc’s wings usually were a set of one natural green webbed wing and a robotic counterpart.

BadTimes stepped aside with a sinister smirk. “After you, boys.”

“But won’t we-“

“Nope, hop in.”

Hesitantly, the creeper decided to go in first, mostly expecting the Evil Hermit to just prank them by letting themselves die in the lava. He took a running start and jumped, diving into the lava and spreading his wings when he found that he wasn’t in it for more than a second and he was falling. Giving them a few flaps, he steadied himself in the air and hovered there, noting that they didn’t need rockets. The stark difference in scenery down here was also mind boggling. He flew back up and through the lava to show Impulse that he was completely fine.

“Impulse, you have _got_ to see this.”

Excited at Doc’s sudden wonder for whatever was on the other side, and that he wouldn’t die, he jumped in as well, BadTimes following after him. When he finally spread his own wings after falling for a second, he gasped at the scenery below him. There was greenery and a castle of some kind littering the area. If he was correct, Helsknight said at some point that nothing grew in Hels.

“I thought nothing grew here,” he commented.

BadTimes didn’t spare him a glance, his eyes also on the scenery below. “Everything down there is artificial. Just some fake greenery I put around because I hated the red. Hate plants too, but better than nothin’ I guess.”

That also made Doc curious. “Did you terraform all of this land?”

That brought a proud grin to BadTimes’s face and he held his head a little higher. “I did.”

With that, he dove down and flew towards the castle. It stood tall among burnt villages and destroyed farms of many kinds. Really, if nothing grew here, they didn’t need farms, but who was to say anyone didn’t come to the overworld once in a while to steal a few things. Doc and Impulse followed behind him. Within a few seconds, the trio landed in front of the doors and BadTimes glared at the guards who opened the doors with a growl. Doc and Impulse just glanced at each other with some form of concern set into their faces. They kept to following BadTimes, but halted their walking at the sight of who was on the throne.

“GRIAN?!” The two yelled in unison.

“Evil Grian,” BadTimes corrected. “That there is NPC Grian. Got more raw power on his own than the majority of Hels. He’s our Champion.”

NPC Grian looked towards them with a plastered grin. “Hello! My name is NPC Grian. Would you like to learn how to build a rustic house?”

Initially, the two snickered at the automated phrase, but the NPC, they found, was not red eyed like the other creatures in Hels. BadTimes wasn’t either, actually. His eyes were a bright, almost glowing, yellow-green and the NPC’s eyes were one of the brightest shades of blue they’ve ever seen on a player.

And they’ve met Wels.

Unlike Grian’s outfit or anything really similar to it, NPC Grian wore fairly formal attire. He was dressed in a black and red vest trimmed with gold and a creamy white shirt underneath which the sleeves hung inches away from his elbows. He stared at them expectantly, probably waiting for their answer.

“You say no, he’ll force you to build forever,” BadTimes whispered to them. “You say yes, he’ll go easy on you.”

They looked at each other, then meeting the NPC’s gaze. “Uh….sure?” They answered in unison. The piercing gaze lifted, a genuine smile brought onto the NPC’s face.

“I like you two!” He cheered. “That is just a test. Since you said yes, I am letting you wander around for a few hours before The Lord of Darkness tells me what to do with you.”

_Well, it wasn’t building for all eternity,_ they thought. Impulse nudged Doc’s arm with his elbow.

“Doc, we can meet the other Evil Hermits, see what’s going on around here, get some help,” he muttered. The creeper nodded, turning to BadTimes.

“Seeing as we’re allowed to roam, why don’t we meet other Evil Hermits.”

BadTimes grinned, glancing at NPC who nodded, then turned back to them. “I don’t see why not.”

* * *


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Wels has a bit of a…discussion…with The Lord of Darkness
> 
> Characters: Wels, The Lord of Darkness (Hels, Ex, Xisuma, Tango, Doc, Keralis, Beef mention)
> 
> TW: Wels gets attacked so uh there’s that I suppose but nothing overly descriptive or gorey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I did not write this fic! I am simply helping out with posting it here.

* * *

Wels didn’t know where he was. He was floating in darkness, nothing around him, nobody there. Everything was deafeningly silent.

_You’re one of my best soldiers, Wels._

He turned to look around, finding nobody.

_Why do you want to run?_

He turned again, eyes landing on something in the distance. Tall, had red eyes of some kind, and weirdly enough, whatever shadows the creature was made of, they still stood out on the Void where he was. It was painfully obvious that sea shanties weren’t getting this to quiet down. He opened his mouth anyways, finding that no sounds came out of it.

Weird.

Wels didn’t panic, not yet. It wasn’t worth panicking yet when he still didn’t know what he was here for. Lashing out would probably just try to make the situation worse and fuel that weird other side of him that seemed to crave violence. That must’ve been what happened before he blacked out again, but this time not returning to any familiar sights in the overworld. Then one particular memory stood out to him among the rest he tried to recall before this moment. Beef, Xisuma’s base, the obsidian cell, Doc complaining about how loud he was singing….what time was it? Had it been hours? Days? But nonetheless, he remembered the name of this vile creature.

The Lord of Darkness.

_You remember me, don’t you, Wels._

The Lord was now by his side, clawed fingers trailing over his neck. Briefly, a sting shot through his throat and he gritted his teeth. With a cough, Wels let out a pained noise, then a gasp, then a growl, and finally he spoke.

“Why am I here.” He snapped his head towards The Lord. The creature laughed.

“You best not question The Lord of Darkness. Your little twin is beginning to realize that those efforts are futile.”

Wels raised a brow, The Lord stepping to stand tall in front of him. “Helsknight?”

The lord scratched at his chin thoughtfully. “Yes, he’s falling soft. He failed my tasks, so he’s being punished for his disobedience.” In his palm, The Lord generated a small glowing figure of Hels and another of Wels. “I might as well let you in on my little secret since you’ll never be revisiting your body permanently ever again.”

“Wait what? You can’t do that!”

A sinister chuckled left The Lord. “Oh but I can, watch.” The figure began moving, the little Hels growing wings and hovering above the other little knight. “Hels used to be my champion, my strongest soldier. He was fueled by more rage than I’ve ever seen in an Evil Hermit.”

Then, the Hels figure lost its wings and fell back onto his palm, looking around with confusion while the Wels figure drew his sword. Quickly, the sword was lifted above its head and brought down on Hels. The two dissipated into smoke.

“But you, you’re stronger. You have more will than anyone, I believe you could potentially replace him.” The figures reappeared as life sized holograms a few feet away from them. “So I’m using you to punish him.” A figure of Xisuma and Evil Xisuma also generated. “And these two as well. Evil Xisuma also failed my tasks so Xisuma will do my bidding.”

“What are you doing to us? How do you play a role?” Wels asked.

“Simple, I use their malicious energy to fuel you and Xisuma. Without that, they’re nothing and really,” he laughed, ”they will die but who am I to care about that.”

Wels was only further confused. “Then why isn’t Xisuma here?”

“Because, my dear knight,” he pulled Wels’s chin upwards, claws just barely grazing his cheek. “They don’t know what’s happening to him, yet.”

The world shifted around them, bringing them to the roof Toon Towers. A bit away from them, there was Tango curled up painfully and Wels saw himself standing with the bloodied sword. The redness of his eyes was so disturbing, even if he’d seen them on Hels. The scene began playing as if it was in fast forward, Ex killing Tango, Wels panicking, Xisuma and Doc landing on the roof. After a second, it slowed down again. Wels was tied up, the knight expected as much. Though, he did notice that Xisuma didn’t seem like himself. No red eyes or snarky insults, but practically felt it in his own face when X threw a punch at past-him because of a mere insult to his brother. After witnessing another punch being thrown, Wels had figured out what The Lord meant.

“Oh no….” he muttered. “He’s still in the overworld, isn’t he.”

“Yes, on his way to see Evil X now, in fact with your friend Keralis. I made my own little introduction to them in that cell. Impulse and Doc were easy kills.” The Lord pulled up a screen displaying Hels leaning against Ex on the ship, noticeably very tired and if Wels knew anything, he simply just looked sick. “Yesterday, he visited Evil Xisuma to discuss some private matters of their own.” The Lord began to laugh. “He thought a mere confession of love would break him out of my grip.”

“Confession of love? I thought he-“

“He’s all of your hatred, yes, but you Hermits seem to have a habit of changing my little minions. Evil Xisuma especially, I’d say the two have been quite….” The screen changed to the two Evil Hermits sharing a kiss. “Intimate.”

“Oh. Well, at least he’s happy, I suppose?” He glanced at The Lord. “Is that supposed to make me hate him or something? I don’t really have a problem with,” he gestured vaguely, “all that.”

A soft chuckle was heard from The Lord and he shook his head. “No, no, but it’s useful information for my scheme. Soon enough, they’ll be dead as long as I use you and Xisuma. And with you two, I’ll destroy your world.”

“Why do you want to destroy the server,” Wels interjected. “Every time someone from Hels comes here, you always have this intent to just….destroy everything we love.” He glared at The Lord. “And every time, you’ve failed.”

“I’m not the one failing, Welsknight. They do.” The Lord made the images and the figure around them dissipate with the wave of his hand. “I come from a world made of all hatred and malice. In Hels, it’s our responsibility to influence your world, since not everything is sunshine and rainbows.”

“And your point is?”

“We have our intentions and you have yours. If you met our world, just one at a time, you’d want to destroy it too.” He moved to stand beside Wels, staring off into The Void with the knight.

“We wouldn’t,” Wels muttered, his hands balling into fists. “If you know what happened then you should know that Xisuma’s reaction to Evil X was not to kill him or destroy the world he came from.” He stepped away from The Lord, eying him angrily. “You know what he did?”

“Oh, please humor me, Wels. What did he do.”

“He took him with kindness.”

“He _banned_ him, Welsknight, one of the worst possible things that could happen to any of them. And he would’ve done the same to each and every one of us.” The Lord stood taller, eyes glowing a brighter red.

“And he realized his mistake.” The knight stomped with his continuation. “And we took him in with fairness, a _promise_. That we would never hurt him or anyone he considered a friend.”

“Watch your tone, boy.”

“And for months he’s grown! He’s not your little puppet anymore!”

“I said….” The Lord lifted his hand, fingertips glowing an every red, a ball of light emitting from his palm pointed towards the knight. “Watch your _tone_.” That said, the ball of light shot from his palm and knocked Wels back with a force to throw him at least twenty blocks.

He landed on his back on some kind of surface in The Void. Solid ground of some kind knocked the wind out of him and he turned over weakly with groan.

“You know I’m right,” he spat. Wobbling in the process, he stood up and turned to face The Lord of Darkness. “You’re attacking me because you know we can change Helsknight for the better! _All_ of the Evil Hermits for the better!” Another blast sent him flying even farther away.

“You Hermits! That’s all you do! You steal my subjects away from me, changing them from what they were destined to be! Do you even know what you’re doing to the world by doing that?!”

Shakily, Wels pulled himself to his knees. “It’s,” he coughed, “It’s not their destiny.” He turned to The Lord. “They’re not made to be pulled around by chains their whole lives! You’re starving them of freedom!”

More balls of energy came and went, throwing the knight every which way. He was right, he knew he was with the confidence of a thousand men. Where they were, this was his mind. He should be the most powerful here, more than The Lord of Darkness, be he wasn’t. Farther and farther he went until The Lord decided he had enough of pathetic attempts at changing Wels’s mind. He stomped over to the knight who took another hit, just barely standing once more, and picked him up by the neck.

“You will regret this, Welsknight. Your world and everything you love will be gone once and for all and me and my minions will roam free of your pathetic lives. You all won’t be around anymore, destroying the balance.” Wels kicked and scratched at The Lord’s cold, dead hands around his throat but to no avail.

“You- you don’t need them for balance-“ the knight croaked. With that, the hand around his neck tightened further and it brought a whimper from him. “You’re wrong….”

“Am I? You don’t sound so sure, Welsknight.”

“I-“ He sputtered as he finally realized he couldn’t breathe anymore. “I can’t-“

“I think it’s time you sleep again, Wels.”

With a sickeningly crimson glow around the two of them, he closed his eyes knowing that this was probably the last time he’d be fighting his inner demons. He was exhausted in his own mind. Hurt, angry, guilty, just wishing for everything to be over.

He thought of Hels. How he finally found his own home and happiness and how it was going to be torn away from him. He thought of Beef, how he dragged him into all of this. Xisuma, Tango, poor Tango, the sight of the injured demon was still fresh in his mind. Impulse and Doc were killed by The Lord of Darkness, probably suffering as they speak. Wels began to feel like he’d done more harm than good, even if it wasn’t in his control. He was losing the trust of some of his closest friends who just wanted to help him out of this state of mind. It felt like a worthless attempt to fight any longer. He couldn’t change anything even when he wasn’t under false control.

So, with those final thoughts, he gave in. His mind still screamed at him to not let go but what was it worth if he tried. What did he gain from splitting headaches and aching limbs and just _fighting_. Who was he saving when it only brought more distress.

Maybe Xisuma would have better luck fighting off the voices in his head.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> POOR WELSIE


	30. Chapter 30

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Xisuma isn’t doing all that great to say the least and neither is Keralis
> 
> Characters: Xisuma, Keralis, Evil X, Hels
> 
> TW: Fighting (not an overly violent or gorey chapter or anything)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a while since there's been an update! Both of us have been busy lol.

* * *

“What do you mean I’m being affected?! I’m fine!” Xisuma yelled, quite obviously proving Evil X’s point.

After what Ex said, the admin snapped at him repeatedly while he tried to explain what was happening. How Hels’s hateful personality was being used as fuel for Wels’s outbursts and if Xisuma let his anger get to him much longer, Evil X would be reaching the sickly state Hels was currently in. Hours ago when the knight was sleeping- it was probably nighttime in the overworld- he woke up suddenly complaining about pains he was having in his head.

In tears, might he add.

Obsessed with what Xisuma said to him, Ex took it as that he needed to help Hels. Unfortunately, that meant that he needed to get back to the overworld somehow and one elytra certainly wouldn’t carry both of them, he didn’t think. It would just break faster with the added weight. So, not wanting to ask the other Hermits for assistance since that didn’t count to him as ‘cleaning up his own mess’, he soothed Hels back to an uncomfortable sleep.

Throughout the next passing hours, Ex stayed awake. He had no problem with sleep, weirdly, he didn’t really feel tired even after being up for more than a full day. He watched as Hels slowly lost the color in his face and how he would start to shiver from The End’s everlasting breeze. That in itself was concerning since the knight never really was cold- radiating over 100 degree body heat had its pros for sure. Nonetheless, Hels had to prop himself up on the side of the mast to sit up and overall, he just felt awful. Every movement threw the world around him into a spin and something was mumbling annoyingly in the back of his mind. The Lord was probably punishing him with uncontrollable voices again. He was sluggish, for lack of a better word, because his counterpart was draining him of everything he had left in this vessel.

“Xisuma, take off your helmet,” Hels commanded hoarsely, giving the other his best glare he could muster. Unsurprisingly, Xisuma didn’t comply and only further made concerningly aggressive remarks about the situation. Mostly just saying how he got only a couple hours of sleep the night before and that he was just tired. Yet, none of them, not even Keralis, believed it for a second.

“Shashwamy, you’ve been acting weird the entire time on over here,” Keralis decided to comment. “I think they’re right.”

“Xisuma, if you keep yelling at everyone, I’m gonna end up just like Hels.” Ex stared at Xisuma, awaiting an answer. Growling- _growling_ \- at Ex, Xisuma popped the seal around his neck and lifted the helmet, intending to show off that he was just tired and irritated and didn’t, in fact, have red eyes.

Only he did. Very, very red eyes startled both Ex and Hels, the two crawling backwards away from the admin and drawing Hels drawing his sword. It nearly fell from his less than solid grip but he didn’t plan on dying yet. Keralis stepped back a few steps, not wanting to provoke whatever they saw. Xisuma turned to look at him over his shoulder and the man gasped at the sight, drawing his own sword as well.

“Sh….Shashwamy?” The blade wavered in his own grip as well.

Weirdly, it was so unnatural to see slitted crimson irises on the admin. His short, earthy brown hair, minimal stubble, and freckles crossed with an ‘X’ shaped scar across his face oddly supported his usually friendly demeanor. Now, he simply looked possessed and instead of being scared of how the trio fumbled to get away from him, Xisuma chuckled, a deep, sickening chuckle, at the reaction.

“Oh, this will be _fun_ ,” he said.

“Xisuma….” Ex muttered, making Xisuma’s head snap towards him. “Xisuma, you need to snap out of it!”

The admin stood, towering over the two still on the ground. Keralis crouched, awaiting some kind of attack or, if their luck happened to be any worse, The Lord of Darkness to appear and kill them all as well. Instead, he unfurled his elytra, speckled grey and white feathers stood out against the ship and he gripped his sword tight, firework rockets in his other hand. He had no intentions to hurt his friend, mostly since he didn’t want to lose him with respawn, but also that whatever it was in front of him, it wasn’t Xisuma.

“ _Xisuma_ ,” he started, pulling the admin’s attention away from the pair on the other end of the deck. He swallowed the bitter lack of using the endearing nickname, but again, this wasn’t Xisuma. “You can take me on, but we leave the ship and we leave them alone.” He eyed the pair behind the admin.

Xisuma thought for a second. “And if I win?”

“If I die, you’ll be the one left with them here. But I can get you help, Shashwamy. You need to fight it.” The builder kept his voice even, softer than what he would’ve liked.

The admin’s gaze dropped briefly. With a blink, violet eyes were looking at him, but with another blink, they were gone. “You’ll regret trying this. Remember what happened to Tango, Keralis.”

Keralis swallowed thickly. “Yes, I know about Tango. Shashwamy, don’t let it get to you, you’re better than this.”

Xisuma then put his helmet back on, the redness of his eyes glowing through the visor. This time Keralis’s attempts had no effect on the admin. It made his stomach twist, but he stood his ground.

“Fine then. If I die, I come back for _you_ , Keralis.”

The builder shuddered but both were in fully enchanted armor, thankfully, so he would take a few hits if it came to it and so would Xisuma….hopefully. He wouldn’t suffer Tango’s fate at least- Doc had told him and Impulse about it the day before.

Summoning his sword and spreading his elytra- deep green and black spotted pterodactyl wings- Xisuma pulled out his rockets, the pensive glare never leaving Keralis’s unusually large eyes. With that, he stood at the edge of the boat, falling backwards off of it, probably intending for Keralis to follow. He pulled himself up with a few flaps, the smoke of the rockets trailing behind him, and hovered directly over The Void. Keralis thanked everything that Xisuma was bad at PvP. Well, unless the weird evil force had more skill but he doubted that.

With a last glance at the pair on the deck, he fired off his rockets and flew off into the sky. He flew a bit lower than the admin, circling around him. Though, that hadn’t lasted long when Xisuma dived into his direction, already beginning to swing his sword.

He dodged the attack, maneuvering himself around the admin, taking a swing at his elytra to catch him off guard. Not enough to tear his wings, but enough to give him some fright. Keralis fired off more rockets and shot off into one direction. When he turned back around, the admin was coming at him with a speed he would swear was faster than an arrow. Xisuma successfully tackled the other and moved quickly to push his sword upwards into Keralis’s back but his hand was caught and before he knew it, a kick to the chest later and Keralis was flying off again towards the End City.

With yet another growl, the admin sped off towards him. They flew up and around the structure, some shulkers firing at them but the two weaved through the small attacks easily. Keralis flew off over The Void again, letting the admin follow him. Thankfully, the fight was more chasing than attacking and he was perfectly fine with that. Stopping just briefly, he fired off more rockets, flying back towards the city with a much faster speed than he had before. The builder didn’t look like he planned to stop, and Xisuma saw that the idiot was about to fly right into the side of one of the towers. The two were speeding up more and more and even Hels and Ex had no clue what Keralis was planning to do.

But that question was quickly answered when Keralis pulled up just before hitting the building and Xisuma was sent flying right into the side of it. Unfortunately, his armor must’ve given out at some point during the impact because the trio’s communicators buzzed as the admin turned to a puff of green, blue, and purple smoke.

**_Xisuma experienced kinetic energy_ **

All of the items in Xisuma’s inventory fell meters down onto the endstone and Keralis tore his communicator from his pocket, typing furiously.

_< Keralis> Nobody go see xisuma_

_< Keralis> You dont know whats happening but he and wels are being possessed and will kill you on sight_

_< Tango> Guessing you were attacked too_

_< Keralis> Yeah_

Pocketing his communicator, and ignoring the various additional buzzes from it from what he assumed were the other Hermits, he flew down to the island. Sure, Xisuma had literally almost tried to kill him, but that didn’t mean the admin wouldn’t at least have his stuff saved. With a sigh, Keralis turned to the ship. Well, Xisuma did drop his elytra in the crash and it wasn’t hardly half broken by any means so Hels would use it to get back to the overworld. Agreeing to this thought, he fired off more rockets and made his way up to the ship.

For a second, Keralis wondered if either Evil Hermit was okay to fly such a long distance. Evil X was already beginning to lose his own color, but the knight was so far along in that process that Keralis didn’t even know if he was awake at the moment. Hels leaned against Ex’s side with a tired frown, breaths leaving in shallow heaves, and beads of sweat pooling over his face. He definitely wouldn’t be flying anytime soon.

Keralis debated with himself. He could see if Ex could carry him back to the overworld and just give him Xisuma’s elytra since they were a stronger set that could handle more weight. On the other hand, both Hels and Ex were probably at more risk of being attacked than the other Hermits but that could be prevented. Nonetheless, Hels needed help and Keralis didn’t want to leave the two to gather health potions….or harm potions. Poison? Did they work like zombie villagers?

He shook his head. Off topic, off topic. Right, well he could just contact the other Hermits, kind of explain what’s going on from what he knew. Though, Wels replied in chat earlier on so any plans would be watched and taken advantage of. He dragged a hand down his face with a groan, grabbing Ex’s attention. This was hard. He just wanted Doc and Impulse back here safely, too. And he wanted Xisuma as well, but that only brought on more worrying thoughts. Hopefully, when he respawned he snapped out of his weird trance. But that was a very iffy hope.

“I don’t know how to help,” he muttered, sending the pair a sad expression. “What do I do?” Ex, nor unconscious Hels, probably knew, but feedback was nice, he guessed. Even if it was the same statement repeated back to him.

Ex only mirrored his expression, turning to glance at Hels. “I….just want to help him. But I don’t know how to stop The Lord of Darkness. This just happens and I don’t think we can prevent it.” He turned back to Keralis. “There’s some people who can probably help but they’re not exactly…. _nice_.”

Keralis perked up, interested in the possible solution. “Who?”

Ex rubbed at his neck, hanging his arm there. “The Evil Hermits. Mostly NPC Grian.”

Then, Keralis deflated. “Oh. There’s not like, a way we can convince them or….?”

The other shrugged. “That’s what I’m hoping Doc and Impulse can do.”

Well wasn’t that certainly news to Keralis. His eyes, already incredibly large as they were, widened at his statement. The fact that Ex said the very thing he was trying to figure out for more than an hour now so casually simply just annoyed him. Ex only rose a brow at Keralis’s increasingly ridiculous vague gestures while he stuttered to get his reply pieced together in his head.

“Wha- They’re in HelsCraft?! And you didn’t think to tell me this before?!” he finally yelled.

“You didn’t ask. You guys said The Lord of Darkness killed them and that they weren’t answering their communicators, so they’re probably in Hels. If we’re lucky, they’re not being tortured.”

Keralis rolled his eyes, but he couldn’t help but to worry at the thought of his friends being hurt by whatever kinds of creatures were in Hels. He could only think by what Doc said that Hels told him that everything there was so bent on the idea of killing. Though, if Doc and Impulse were there for a reason, they wouldn’t simply be killed. It made, unfortunately, a bit of sense that the people there would have their own fun with a couple of people from the overworld. And Hermitcraft at that.

He crossed his arms, deciding now Ex would be good enough to drag Hels back to the overworld. The man was still his blunt, questionable self and that was enough for Keralis.

“Right, right. Well, we need to get back to the overworld. You can carry _him_ ,” he pointed a twirling finger at Hels, ”back there.”

Ex only replied with a huff, then thinking for a second. “Keralis, where did he respawn? Because if I know anything about Xisuma, it wasn’t at his base.”

“Ah….Well, it was in his base but it was….” His eyes widened at the realization. “Down the hall from Wels’s cell. That’s where The Lord of Darkness was, in the cell I mean. I dunno if he’s still there.” He facepalmed internally. They really were just better off keeping him on the boat.

Hastily, Ex pulled Hels and himself up, keeping the knight leaned against his shoulder.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Helsie :(


	31. Chapter 31

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Introducing a new evil hermit in the story and Doc nearly chokes BadTimes to death.
> 
> Characters: Doc, Impulse, BadTimes (Oscar), Hex (my Evil Mumbo) (NPC Grian, Xisuma, Hels, Wels, and Evil X mention)
> 
> TW: Strangulation and (kind of) swearing I believe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I can stop with the reminders in the beginning lol you get it by now that I'm just helping Bee post this here XD

* * *

The Evil Hermits were _interesting_ to say the least. BadTimes led them around the vast area which resembled their server in some way. The land seemed generated quite the same, and in the places where their bases were in the overworld, they were there in HelsCraft, as BadTimes called it. The castle for The Champion was actually the Hels version of Grian’s castle he built, just the land was changed here and there.

There was a ‘jungle’- large burnt trees- close to it, and within the jungle was a very tall withering tree, presumably the HelsCraft version of Iskall’s base, owned by who BadTimes called Iskill. However, they weren’t on their way there after getting a glimpse at the other bases. The moment they were through the lava and flying around, their eyes landed on Mumbo’s HelsCraft base. Unsurprisingly, it was built nearly identical to it but gears and hundred block tall machinery ticked with metallic groans outside of the temple. Smokestacks made their way from the ground and the place looked more like a factory than the preserved temple.

BadTimes decided that that was where they would be visiting first as far as actually talking to the Evil Hermits was concerned. He said he had an ally there named Hex. Hex was supposedly Mumbo’s evil doppelgänger and that all of the Evil Hermits, and a large portion of HelsCraft itself, tended to rely on him for materials. BadTimes said he was respected, nearly a Champion but lacked a will to fight all the time and didn’t care to please The Lord of Darkness.

Already had been flying around, BadTimes led them to land on the spire in the middle of the factory, wings folding behind them neatly. Doc and Impulse were absolutely stunned by the build itself, not that Mumbo’s general base in the overworld wasn’t already incredibly impressive. Just the intense amount of machinery and watching farms grow and be harvested in amounts at a time by the hundreds. It was incredible and that made Impulse particularly giddy to meet this redstone master.

BadTimes had them land on the highest layer of the spire and let Doc and Impulse take in the ginormous build and it’s details. Occasionally, they saw BadTimes glance around, presumably looking for his friend. Though, were friends a thing here? BadTimes said Hex was an ally, not a friend. Yet, Evil X said Hels considered the Evil Hermits to be his friends at one point.

That also brought a thought to Doc, from something Hels told him a while back. He decided to ask BadTimes anyways while Impulse was busy looking over the edge. The creeper stepped up to the evil terraformer with a grunt.

“Weren’t you the one who helped in dethroning Hels?” He asked, not sparing a glance at the other, simply watching Impulse gawk and ramble about the machinery as he stood next to the evil hermit.

On the other hand, BadTimes didn’t seem fazed by the question, simply keeping an unmoving gaze. “Yes. I helped NPC get the throne. Wasn’t the one who stabbed em’ though.” He side eyed Doc carefully. “Why.”

Doc nodded, taking in the information that Hels, in fact, didn’t lie if he was talking shit about his previous companions. “We need your help,” he muttered.

That brought a chuckle out of BadTimes. “What, with The Lord a’ Darkness?” He whistled, emphasizing the size of that kind of task. “Can’t help ya’ there. ‘S got all of us wrapped around his finger. You want help, you get NPC. Kid’s got tons of power.”

The creeper sighed, then faced BadTimes curiously. “Why did you help us? In the castle?”

“Aw, now don’t bring none a’ that here. I did y’all a favor, but I don’ do it out of the nonexistent kindness of my heart, Doc. You owe me.”

Doc hummed, a fair point. “Right, well, you didn’t say you wouldn’t help us with The Lord of Darkness because you didn’t want to. You said it because you’re not able to.”

BadTimes snorted at the observation, nodding his head fondly. “Who said I like workin’ for em’? I don’t care about none a’ y’all, but I like not having to murder people all the time for his satisfaction. I want out just as bad as you do, but that’d hurt that Scar fellow.”

That was true. Hels trying to get out only landed in whatever was going on with Wels. “Right, right. Why’d you overthrow Hels then?”

The other shrugged. “Needed NPC up there. He don’ hurt anyone, really. Soft kid, actually. But even without whatever The Lord gave em’ as a reward, he’s got enough power to wipe out a city with a snap.” BadTimes sighed, almost sadly. “Kid ain’t from here, Doc. He could change this but it would risk everything we got here.”

“Change what?”

The trio turned their heads towards the familiar British accent, though much deeper than they thought it’d be, more distorted. There stood, who Impulse and Doc assumed, was Hex. Unsurprisingly, the man was still sporting the curled handlebar mustache, and his outfit screamed the word Victorian. This man, they already could tell, was some kind of inventor. Maybe the googles were the deciding factor for that thought.

“Howdy, Hex! Showin’ these fellas around. Lord a’ Darkness took em’ from the overworld.” BadTimes pointed a thumb at the two behind him.

“Figured,” the Brit replied, though not hardly showing much interest to them. “Touch anything and I’ll have you ground in the gears down there, understand?” Doc and Impulse nodded, Impulse still with a grin on his face.

“You are like- holy shit, how long have you been doing this?!” The redstoner asked excitedly. “This is amazing!”

Hex tilted his chin up proudly. “Years. This world kinda forces you to get better than most. Competition, I’d say, is probably why it happens to look like this anyways.”

“You’ve got to teach me,” Impulse replied, bouncing on his heels.

“Better hope you can keep up, I don’t wait.” Hex ended his sentence on a cold stare, but even behind the mustache, you could see his lips perk up just slightly.

BadTimes decided to interject their little conversation. “Ay Hex, gotta ask you somethin’. Think you can do anythin’ to help this whole Lord a’ Darkness thing?” he asked, putting a hand on the brit’s shoulder.

He’d shook his head. “I don’t believe so, no. NPC can’t do anything?”

“Ah, ‘s what we were thinkin’. Hels ain’t havin’ a fun time though, Wels is gettin’ possessed by The Lord.”

“Serves him right….” Hex muttered. “Evil Xisuma dragged him over there, he can stay for all I care.”

“Hex, he was just tryin’ to please The Lord. You know what happens when you don’ please The Lord.”

“Well, _The Lord_ can punish me,” he replied in a disgusted tone, plucking the other evil hermit’s hand off his shoulder. “I don’t care about Mumbo. I’m not being paid to sit around and do his handiwork. I invent for myself, Oscar.”

BadTimes huffed, quirking a brow at the inventor. “So you won’t help us with a little revolution?” he asked with a pout.

Hex merely rolled his eyes with a slight smile, then looking at Doc and Impulse. “What’s been going on in your world, anyways? We heard it’s getting bad. Your own admin is starting to turn on you.”

The pair’s eyes widened, jaws dropping at the phrase. Xisuma turning on them? Had he been possessed as well? Doc wondered about it, then realizing now how aggressive the admin had been since this whole thing started. Now, he and Keralis were off somewhere, probably finding Hels and Evil X to figure out what was going on. That could only lead to something bad.

“Uh….” Doc started, promptly shutting his mouth in confusion. “I….don’t know apparently. I didn’t know Xisuma was….” he trailed off, the Evil Hermits stared at him curiously.

“You’re an idiot,” Hex commented. Doc sent him a glare, but that was quickly returned by the inventor. “You seriously haven’t noticed this entire time? Whew boy, you’re in for a treat.”

“Yeah,” BadTimes agreed. “Can’t believe you didn’t know Evil X was bein’ punished too. I mean I don’ like the guy, but just somethin’ you should know.”

The pair dragged their hands down their faces, glancing at each other worriedly.

“We’ve gotta get back to the overworld,” said Impulse. He looked at the Evil Hermits with pleading eyes. “There’s gotta be a way for us to get back.”

“Look, I’m sorry boys, but-“

The Evil Hermits paused, pulling out phone-like objects from their pockets. Impulse and Doc realized quickly that the Evil Hermits had their own communicators. That quickly gave the both of them ideas.

“Xisuma experienced kinetic energy,” Hex read. “Hm, guess he’s not doing great either.”

“You have communicators?” Doc asked them.

Quickly, they pocketed their comms. “Yeah, they ain’t for you though, back off.”

“You don’t understand, we’ve gotta get back home, BadTimes,” the creeper growled.

“I think we’re done meetin’ people for today, Doc,” the other replied rather blankly.

“I thought you wanted to get out of this!”

Impulse turned to pull him away from BadTimes. “Doc, don’t-“

Doc pulled his shoulder away from Impulse harshly. “No, we’re getting out of here. You’ve gotta help us, because if you wanna leave _this_ ,” he gestured around them. “This is how.”

Without hesitation, both Evil Hermits drew their swords, the familiar netherite blades reflecting the luminance in the spire. Hex stepped forward with BadTimes and Impulse stepped away from the trio, _far_ away. Doc stood his ground with a snarl. Yet, he spread his arms away from him with a smirk.

“Go on then. Kill me. I’ll get stuck on that island again, won’t I?”

“No, actually.” Hex looked at Impulse darkly. He walked back and pressed a button on the wall, one of many of them littering it. “But he can go.”

A couple seconds after the button was pressed, an arrow shot out of a hidden dispenser, striking Impulse in the chest. The redstoner, having been close to the edge, stumbled backwards, finding no more ground behind him. Despite this, his shock kept him from yelling on his way off the edge. Doc ran to catch his hands but at the last second, Impulse’s fingers slipped through his grip and he watched as his friend descended painfully into the machinery at the bottom of the build, watching blood splatter in the large gears.

**_ImpulseSV suffocated_** , they knew their communicators read. The server mechanics wouldn’t be able to name any other death.

The creeper took a step back, silent at what’d just happened to his friend.

“Don’ worry about it. He’ll spawn back up there. I’m gonna go grab em’-“ BadTimes was interrupted by a metallic grip around his neck pushing up against one of the stone pillars. He grabbed at Doc’s arm, clawing at it, but the hold didn’t budge. Quickly, he was lifted off the ground, left squirming in the air against the wall.

“You don’t respawn, _Oscar_. You can help me or I strangle you to death,” Doc snarled. “Just a damn pitiful creature. Nothing more than a skeleton, aren’t you.”

With that, Hex pulled a bow from his inventory, aiming it at the creeper. “Let him go or I call NPC. He won’t be merciful.”

The hand around BadTime’s throat tightened and he choked, swallowing thickly. “H- Hex don’t—“ he rasped. “Doc,” he swallowed again. “I’m sorry- Can’t help your world.” The Evil Hermit began to feel lightheaded. “But I can get you out- I can-“ At those words, he fell to the floor, the hand no longer around his neck. He hacked and coughed, bringing his hands up to his now sore throat.

“Tell me how.”

“Oscar, you’re not seriously going to help him!”

“We need the NPC,” BadTimes muttered. “But you,” he pointed up at Doc. “Don’t _ever_ call me Oscar, ya’ hear?”

“Noted, now go get Impulse.” Doc smirked at how BadTimes scurried away, stumbling to stand, and fumbling with his liftoff. Man’s all bark and no bite, isn’t he. The creeper turned to Hex, who stood motionless. He was confused as to what to do now.

“You’re gonna help us, too,” Doc growled.

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End file.
